Batman and the Outsiders: Dance With the Demons
by DarkMark
Summary: Selina Kyle, the Catwoman, is struck by an assassin at her wedding to Bruce Wayne.  Now Batman and the Outsiders must learn her attacker's identityand deal out their own brand of justice.
1. Default Chapter

Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

A Tale of Earth 1.75 

by DarkMark 

NOTE: Characters in this chapter and succeeding chapters are property of DC Comics. No money is being made from this story, no infringment is intended. For more tales of Earth-1.75 and a lot of other ficts, visit DarkMark's Domain at http://www.envy.nu/darkmark90/darkmark1.htm . 

I 

Nobody had to tell Bruce Wayne to kiss the bride. 

Selina Kyle was, as the overused word has it, radiant in her wedding gown, and her tears were of genuine happiness. Finally, it had all turned out right. Finally, she had a man she could love. The only man she ever could love. And he had the woman he loved most of all in his arms, both of them not breaking the long kiss in the great receiving room of Wayne Manor. 

The minister smiled. A lonely millionaire had finally found companionship. So had a woman who had strayed too often to the wrong side of the law, but who had found her way back just as often. Now each of them had said the words, put on the rings, entered into holy and legal matrimony. 

He reflected, for a moment, that if she was disappointed in not snaring Batman, she certainly didn't look it. 

Then he turned to the second pair at the altar. "And do you, Dick Grayson, take this, Kory'ander, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, so help you God?" 

"I do," said Dick. His hand trembled just a bit, and Starfire, gold-skinned and white-gowned, squeezed his hand to make him stop it. 

Reverend Black repeated much the same words to Kory, and the Teen Titan from another planet said, "I do." She wondered again why it was so important for Dick to do this here, since they had recently been married on her homeworld. But he told her that this made it legally recognized in his homeland and on her adopted planet. And anyway, it was nice to get married along with Bruce and his new wife. 

Jason Todd, who had carried the rings for both couples, smiled and stood behind them with the pillow. He was going to be alone with Alfred in the mansion for awhile. A small part of him had wistfully hoped that Nocturna might turn good someday, might marry Bruce, and might become his foster mother. She had been so motherly to him, when they met. 

But, heck, Bruce couldn't wait forever. And Selina was kinda neat. Maybe she'd teach him how to use her whip. 

Philip Wayne adjusted his hearing aid a bit and smiled. Bruce was almost 40 now, and he'd darned near given up on getting the whippersnapper married. To him had fallen the task of raising the boy, after his brother Thomas and Thomas's wife Martha had been shot dead in the street those long years ago. He'd never seen a boy so intense and serious as Bruce had been. The boy was either cracking half the books in the library, or doing experiments with his chemistry set, or building up his body, or doing gymnastics. But he'd turned out well, and then some. And now, if Philip was lucky, he might get to see a grandnephew or grandniece, if they hurried up. Maybe he'd see both. 

Alfred Pennyworth, sitting beside Philip and Philip's wife Stella, was also happy. Happy that the master and young master had finally found love and were looking to keep it, and happy that his niece Daphne and his granddaughter Julia were there beside him. There were all the others of the Wayne family, too--young Vanderveer; Bruce N. Wayne, a detective for whom Bruce had been named; Mina Wayne, late of South Africa, now a resident of Britain; the Rev. Emelyn Wayne, a missionary who lived somewhere in Asia; and Jeremy Wayne, who owned a station full of sheep in Australia. 

Commissioner Gordon had made it, too, as had his lovely daughter, Barbara. Dr. Dundee, Bruce's (and Batman's) personal physician, was also in the audience. So were Lucius Fox, Harriet Cooper, Betty Kane, and a number of friends and business aquaintances...though Bruce had intentionally kept the last category few and carefully screened. 

Then there were the special friends. The men and women who, for this occasion, dressed in street clothes and came unmasked. 

Alfred wasn't certain who a lot of them were. But he knew Clark Kent was Superman, and he was sitting with his wife Lois among almost a dozen people, giving signs in various ways that he knew them. Two of those people were Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man, and his wife Sue. Another was obviously Aquaman, though he wore a tuxedo for the occasion, and the redhead beside him had to be his wife Mera. Thus, it was a safe bet that the party in that section of the seats was the Justice League of America. 

There was a group of young people, some about Dick Grayson's age. They all sat together, as well. One of them looked unmistakably like Wonder Girl. Another was obviously wearing a lot of pancake makeup and had dyed his hair brown. Alfred guessed he was Changeling. Aqualad was easy to recognize, since he, like his mentor, had never worn a mask. He was sitting beside a brown-haired girl and holding hands. There were over a dozen of them, too, and it was easy to peg them as the New Teen Titans. Or, as they called themselves today, the New Titans. With only a few of their members still in teenage years, they finally gave up on tradition and shortened their title by a word. 

Finally, there was the band of brethren Alfred knew the best. In or out of costume, he recognized Katana, Metamorpho (who sat with Sapphire Stagg), Halo, Black Lightning, Looker, and Geo-Force. All in their civilian identities, of course. He didn't recognize who the lady was sitting on the other side of Rex Mason, who wore a mask to hide his calcium-white face. The woman had on a big floppy hat that hid all her hair and wore too much makeup, and wore a long-sleeved dress, thick stockings, and white gloves. But she knew Rex, that was obvious, and only seemed a little nervous around Sapphire. So it was obvious she fit in decently among the Outsiders. 

All things considered, Alfred was rather proud of his detective abilities. Of course, it couldn't match the Master's. But whose could? 

Perhaps it was all over, now. Perhaps the Master could begin to set aside the cape and cowl, and simply devote himself to business and making a new generation of Waynes. To be able to see this, Alfred had scarcely dared hope. And now...possibly within a year's time...he might see the fruits of their union. 

A chill wafted through him just then. He recalled Thomas and Martha Wayne. And he prayed God that no assassin's bullet would cut them down, and inspire a young boy to take up his father's mantle. 

That would be too cruel. Too cruel by far. 

There was even a pair from another Earth, though only Alfred and a few others knew of that. They had been brought over the night before, and the Master had introduced them to him. At the sight of one of them, his jaw had dropped to his shoes. He was an older--much older--version of master Dick, himself. The other was a woman, and when Alfred learned that she was the daughter of the Bruce Wayne of that other Earth, he was stunned all over again. 

They were the Robin and Huntress of Earth-Two, and both of them looked grim, sitting their in their formal clothes. They had reason to be. 

They were watching the wedding of two people whose counterparts, on their homeworld, were dead. 

Alfred rubbed the side of his mouth absently. Too much omen and portent were mixed in this room. He had had enough of it. It was well-nigh time for it to be over. 

The wedding recessional started, and the four newlyweds proceeded down the aisle again. Daphne Pennyworth nudged her uncle gently. "Something wrong?" 

"Hm? Oh, no, no, nothing's wrong yet," said Alfred, softly. "I don't believe anything's wrong at all. Not yet." 

"What do you mean, 'not yet', Granddad?" asked Julia Remarque, suspiciously. 

He said, "With the Master, in all things, it just seems best to say...not yet." 

-B- 

So the foursome had gotten to the sunlight of the outdoors after shaking too many hands and kissing too many cheeks, and left the feast to the fortunate guests, and were entering two limos with the JUST MARRIEDs painted in white shoe polish on the windows. 

Selina looked up at Bruce and was about so say something when he heard a whirring noise. So, presumably, did she. Because her face had time to register a curious expression before there was a brief thpt of impact in her neck and she fell down. 

Without thinking, Bruce caught her on the way. 

He registered the needle-tipped dart in her neck and got them both under cover of the car, its side between them and the direction from which the dart had come, and he had yelled, "Dick! Kory! DOWN!" before he realized he had done it. 

Not that it mattered. 

Selina's breaths were becoming more labored. She was trying to focus her eyes on him, trying to say something to him, and nothing would come. 

He snatched her up as if she only weighed as much as a hollow doll and sprinted for the doors of the church, keeping as low as possible. 

Dick Grayson ran after him. "Dick," Kory yelled. "There might be danger." 

"There already is," he yelled back, and made the doors almost as quickly as the burdened Bruce. 

She decided not to turn on her starburst flying power, but kicked off her white high heels and ran after them. She also looked in the direction from which the small missle had flown. 

No one there. 

It figured. 

-B- 

Bruce Wayne, even with Selina lying in his arms, had pulled open the heavy door with one hand and manhandled his bride inside. His voice boomed throughout the hall, and many who had only known him as Bruce Wayne had never heard this tone in his voice, even as a yell. 

But all who knew him as Batman had heard it. 

"Raven," he shouted. "Rex. Clark. Hal. Help me. She's hurt." 

The four of them, and more besides, came running. 

Bruce waved a row of people out of a number of folding chairs and lay Selina across them. He immediately placed his lips to hers and began CPR. While he did this, his hand went to the dart and plucked it from her neck. Hal Jordan was hauling ass in his direction, and Dick and Kory were coming from another one. Jason Todd was trying to push his way through the mass of adults. Clark and Wally made it before any of the others. 

Breaking CPR for a second, he gave the dart gingerly to Hal. "Spectroanalysis. NOW." 

"I can do that better, Bruce," murmured Clark Kent, as he reached for Selina. 

"No. Use your X-ray vision. Check her out," said Bruce, and went back to breathing into her mouth. 

Wally West massaged Selina's cold wrists and ankles so swiftly he was afraid he might burn her. Then again, that might be the least of her worries. 

The incognito heroes were forming a circle about Bruce and Selina, and the outermost ones faced outward and kept the rubberneckers away. Since the latter included a couple of doctors, this was rough to do. But powers were being unleashed that could not be revealed in public. And if Hal didn't have to blanket-cleanse everyone's mind, so much the better. 

The invisible power ring on Hal Jordan's hand shot forth a rainbow of spectroscopic analysis of the poison on the end of the dart. Bruce looked up at it, broke for a moment, named it, and said, "Rex. You know what to do." 

"You bet," said Rex Mason, and rolled up his sleeve. 

"So do I," said the mystery woman who had been sitting beside him earlier, and took off her glove. 

Both their hands, impossibly, elongated forth and turned black and metallic. 

One forefinger from each of their hands turned into a hollow needle and pierced Selina Kyle's flesh, at two points on the neck. Through those two needles passed chemical antidotes to the poison identified on the murder dart. But the venom was deadly, and fast-acting. All the antidotes in the world might not be enough. 

Selina had almost stopped breathing. 

"One side, Bruce," said Clark, and flatly shoved his friend so hard that he toppled into the arms of Dick Grayson, standing behind him. He bent, Lois watching tensely, and blew into Selina's mouth with a multiple of the force that Bruce had been able to muster. 

"You'll blow up her lungs," warned Bruce. 

"No, he won't," said Lois, sharply. 

Hal Jordan's ring, its beam as invisible as itself, was pumping blasts of life-energy into Selina, trying to fan the flame within her. If her vital signs fell much lower, Hal knew he was going to have to put her in stasis. 

The other Dick Grayson, Helena Wayne, and Barbara Gordon were standing nearby. "Oh, God," said Helena, fighting back tears. "Not again..." 

Jason Todd touched Bruce's hand. "Uh, Bruce," he said. 

Briefly, he touched the boy's shoulder, as a father would a son. Then he pointed. "Go sit over there, Jason. Now." 

Silently, Jason went off to do just that. 

Finally, the young girl whom Bruce had called upon came to the fore. "Let me help," she said. 

Bruce looked at her, as grim as he ever got. "Do it," he said. 

The others moved out of the way for her. Raven, the Teen Titans' empath, lay hands upon Selina's cold, still form, and began utilizing her power. 

Hers was the power to take away hurt, to take upon her the pain of another, as if she were a modern-day sin eater, and, once the hurt was within her body, to dissipate it into the cosmos. She had used this power not many weeks ago, to save the lives of two Supergirls. 

Now she exerted it as furiously as she could, to rescue Selina Kyle from a journey almost nine-tenths run. 

Bruce Wayne stood a few feet away, barely breathing himself, watching Clark, Hal, Urania, Rex, Wally, and Raven minister to his wife, and knowing that there was nothing he could do--nothing--that would be as effective as their efforts. His wife would live or die, and he could have no part in that decision. 

His hand wrapped tightly about the body of the dart, held in a handkerchief. His mind ached to run to the cave below the mansion, subject it to further analysis, find out from whence it came, discover the trademarks that would betray its sender. 

But he would not leave Selina's side. 

So he waited, and watched, and listened to the strange keening of the girl called Raven, which sent unpleasant feelings through more souls than his. 

At the edge of it, he seemed to hear a cough. He pushed in. He looked at his bride. 

A bit of color seemed to have returned to her face. 

"Keep back, Bruce," warned Hal. "We haven't got her back yet." 

"Hal," said Bruce, "you'd better." 

A touch of fingers at his shoulder made him whip around. "Easy, Bruce," said Dick. Kory was standing beside him, her all-green eyes brimming with tears. "I just want to be there for you. You look like you need it." 

He composed himself as much as he could. "Do me a favor, Dick. Run this down to the lab, check it out. Thoroughly." He handed over the dart. Dick took it, carefully. 

"You've got it, Bruce," said Dick, and stepped off to head for the grandfather clock that opened upon a passageway to the Batcave. Jason Todd decided to follow him. 

Princess Koriand'r was there by Bruce's right arm. "I pray to the gods of my world that your wife makes it through, Bruce. If I may do more, please tell me." 

His look held more tenderness than she had expected. "Thank you, Kory. Just...keep praying. For Raven, too. For all of us." 

"I will," she promised. She was awed. He wasn't letting himself shout, panic, even interrupt the team working on his wife. The man was so strong. She could see how much of it had been duplicated in her husband. He was strong in different ways, and gentle in different ways, as well. 

They did hear a sound of muted sobbing, then. 

The eyes of the persons not directly involved in Selina's resuscitation went to the source of it. 

The noise was coming from Helena Wayne, who was crying against the elder Dick Grayson's shoulder. He was holding her and trying to keep between her and the hurt, and knowing he had no power over anything. 

A look of empathy passed between him and Bruce, almost startling him. Bruce nodded, briefly. Then the Batman who was younger than the other Earth's Robin turned back to his wife. 

Dr. Dundee pushed his way through. "Bruce, Bruce, where is she?" he said. "I told them who I was. You've got to let me help her." 

"She's being helped," he said. 

"By a--good Lord! What is this, a faith healing?" Dundee pointed at the figure of Raven, her hands still on Selina's diaphragm and abdomen. 

Bruce looked at him with a mien of tempered savagery. "What she can't heal, you can't either. I thank you, Dr. Dundee, but my friends have the matter in hand." 

"Let me through." He tried to push past Bruce. Bruce grabbed him by the coat collar and his right armpit, lifted him gently off the floor, and deposited him on his feet a couple of feet backward. 

"No," Bruce said. 

Swearing softly, Dundee stood his ground. 

Bruce's head whipped around. "Is Ronnie here? Let me talk to Ronnie." 

Ronnie Raymond's face showed his astonishment. "You want to talk to me? Bruce, you...uh...really want to talk to me?" 

"Go out there and see if you can find who or what loosed that dart at her," said Bruce. "I think you'll be impervious to it. If it's a man, bring him down and bring him back--alive. If it's something else, bring it back as intact as possible." 

"Yessir," said the youth. He strode through the circle of heroes, pushed his way through the crowd, and made for the doors. Batman had called on Firestorm to help, and he was by-gosh going to show them that the junior Justice League member could pull his weight and then some. 

Bruce Wayne turned back to the scene before him. She wasn't making a move. He could barely tell that her chest was rising and falling. He doubted that it would make the bubble in a level change positions. He clenched both fists to keep his hands from shaking, and the muscles in his upper arms threatened to burst the seams of his sleeves. 

A cough. Then, another one. 

And finally, a long, shuddering breath. He could see it, even with Clark's mouth covering hers. 

Gently, but powerfully, he shunted Wally West aside and touched his wife's form with both hands, feeling the cold radiance from Raven's nearby palms, perceiving some of the energy pulsing from Hal's ring, and still finding a place for him to touch her. He would not be separated from her at this point, or afterward. 

Within thirty seconds more, Clark withdrew his mouth. Selina Kyle's eyes were open. Focused. She looked at Clark, at the two Element People whose metal fingers still sent chemical antidote into her neck's veins, at the girl who was doing some kind of wailing-wall number on her, and at all the other idiots round about her, looking down. 

"Bruce," she said, gasping for air.   
  
Clark moved out of the way as Bruce went to her head and grasped her hand. "Lie still, Selina," he said. "They're still working on you. Can you see me okay?" 

"Bruce," she said, "I have, gotta tell you, something." 

"I'm listening," he said, his eyes wet. 

"This is, one crappy way, to run, a wedding reception." 

-B- 

The civilian guests had basically been run off with a promise of a soiree at Wayne Manor when things got sorted out. The Wayne family members were a bit put out at being sent back to their hotels, but Alfred knew when to be firm, and he was, so they went. 

Dr. Dundee, who knew Bruce was Batman because he had to patch him up so often, flatly refused to leave. Bruce let him give Selina a thorough checking out and help him place her in a monitoring bed in the Batcave with a saline drip-feed in her arm. "You should let me take her to a hospital," said the doctor. 

"Doctor, this is the only safe place for her right now," said Batman. "Now, if you'll excuse me, the crew and I have to meet, and they can't speak freely with you present." 

The physician harrumphed. "I'll be upstairs," he said. "I'm not going to leave tonight. Consider this an extended house call." 

"Thank you, Doctor," said Bruce. As Dundee passed by him, Bruce grasped his upper arm and held him for a moment, and caught his eyes. "And I do mean thank you." 

"Yes, well," said Dundee. "I'll be around, Bruce." 

The multimillionaire went to sit in a chair beside Selina. She looked up at him, weakly reached out her hand. He took it. 

"Sorry I'm not gonna be up to wifely duties tonight," she smiled. "Just as soon as I feel better, I promise to rock your socks off." 

He held her long-fingered hand between both of his own. "Don't worry about it, Sel. There'll be plenty of time for that once you're past this." 

"Bruce?" 

"What?" 

"Who could have had it in for me this badly? I didn't think I made anybody mad enough at me to kill me." 

"I don't think it's that, Sel. I think it was a strike at me, through you. I've got enough enemies to fill half the state pens in the Union." 

"How many of them know you're Bruce Wayne?" 

He considered it. "Not too many. But someone could have found out. It wasn't exactly a big secret that the Batman and Catwoman had a thing going for each other. Even though we put on the big act of cooling our romance in masks, while we heated the one up without them, in public." 

"More than in public." 

"Yeah," he admitted. He rubbed her hand and felt its familiar warmth, only a little stanched. "We took too much of a risk with this one. Our wedding, together with Dick's and Kory's. We were asking for trouble." 

"We've done that ever since each one of us put on a mask," said Selina. "And you said yourself that the mansion was the safest place to have a wedding." 

"It was," he said. "But even with Clark, Hal, Wally, Dick, Jason, and myself combing the area, even with Hal setting up those energy-filters and alarm systems, even with Clark listening and watching...it still wasn't enough." 

She didn't know what to say to that. So she said nothing. 

Footsteps. Two sets. 

"Bruce," said Dick, his tux coat off and a lab coat thrown over his shirt. He was holding the dart in a pair of forceps. Jason Todd stood beside him. 

"Yes, Dick? What did you get?" 

"About what you thought," he admitted. "None of the poisons that go into any Joker-venoms. Which makes sense, because, excuse me, Selina, you weren't grinning when it got to your bloodstream and we were able to save you. If we were racing Joker-juice, well...I'm not sure we could have done it." 

"Thank you," she said, quietly. 

"As for what's in it," continued Dick, "a mixture of toxins used in the Middle and Far East. Some stuff which has been traced to the Hashashin. That's a telling indication of its source, Bruce." 

He nodded. 

"Could've come from only one guy," put in Jason Todd, seriously. 

"No," said Bruce. "That's where you're wrong, Jason. Several of our enemies could have used that poison. The Sensei. Kobra. Probably even Django. If I put my mind to it, I can probably drag up a dozen other names." 

Dick said, "So you want us to check out a dozen different perps?" 

"For right now, Dick, I want you to go upstairs, bring Rex's group down, and tell the Justice League I'll brief them afterward. I think I'd rather use the Outsiders on this first." 

"What about me?" said Robin. "I can't stay out of this." 

"You blasted well can. You have a new wife who needs your attention, and I won't hear of anything else. You've got a honeymoon to get underway, Dick. Go to it. If I need you--" 

"'I'll call you,'" finished Dick, sullenly. "Yeah, okay. All right, Bruce. But try not to get yourself killed, okay?" 

Bruce didn't answer him. To Jason, he said, "Go with him. I need to talk to the group first." 

"Aww, shucks, Bruce," said the boy. Bruce gave him a look that brooked no bargaining, and the latest Robin trundled up the stairs after his predecessor. 

When they were gone, Selina said, "Bruce? Who do you think it is?" 

"The one man among my enemies who I'm sure knows my identity," he said. "The one man whom I thought would have honor enough not to attempt such a thing...but resources enough to accomplish it with ease. 

"Selina, we're going after Ra's Al Ghul." 

To be continued...   



	2. Chapter 2

Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 2 

by DarkMark 

You don't get to see Ra's Al Ghul just by calling up for an appointment. 

In fact, it's always uncertain at which of his many lairs in desolate areas of the world the Demon's Head is. Each one is well-guarded, and the guards have not only made their bones. They've made a whole skeleton.   
They are also armed with some of the deadliest weaponry known to man, much of it unknown to anyone outside of weapons research labs, and they are trained well to use it. 

Thus, if one has reason to do business with Ra's Al Ghul, master of the Brotherhood of the Demon, one is advised to do it long-distance. 

The detachment of guards at a remote area of Greenland were watchful, as they had to be. But they really didn't expect anything to worry about. A couple of idiots had wandered onto the property at times and either been escorted back or left in pieces, whichever the team leader had deemed most expedient. So far, the team leader had kept his head on his shoulders. That signified he had done his job well. 

The day was cloudy and foggy, but they had radar and infra-red goggles. Aerial support patrolled the area under all but the worst weather conditions. It took a lot of money to maintain that kind of protection, but Ra's Al Ghul had that much and more to spare. 

Carlos, late of Brazil, huffed and glanced at his partner, some twenty yards away. Both had long-barrelled weapons of a sort unknown to most soldiers. The air was a bit thick, but they both had gas masks. Still, he was damned if he didn't think some of this mist was singling him out. 

Could it be some sort of attack? He reached for the communicator in his belt. 

He didn't get that far before the mist hardened into calcium around him, cutting him off from air, pressing in on a nerve in his neck, and rendering him unconscious. The same thing happened to his partner, a few yards away. 

Then the calcium coverings turned into mist again, and the men who had been within them dropped to their knees and then fell face-first into the snow. Flakes from above began to cover them. 

Their falling did not go unnoticed. Other members of the contingent of twenty saw them. Some did manage to get a warning message into the compound beyond them. The rest weren't fast enough. 

The two mists seemed to enlarge, become one, purl straight at them. The twenty men aimed their blasters, and a few got off energy bursts that seemed to pass through holes in the oncoming gases. 

The gas masks were effective, but not against the sort of gas which was whipped against them this time. Within five seconds, the eighteen remaining guards were rendered unconsious, sitting, slumping, or lying flat in the snow. 

This was observed, though not without difficulty, by a TV camera trained on the area from an installation in a fairly tall tree nearby. That was the last thing the camera noticed before a bolt of lightning struck it and rendered it molten. There was, of course, no lightning bolt to be found in the clouds which dispensed the snow.   
There were several other cameras strategically placed about the site and each one of them, in turn, was blasted electrically to bits. 

One soldier, still on his feet, caught sight of the blaster, visible only by the bolt he had thrown. The man he sought was clad in an all-white garment, including a hood which enclosed his head. The soldier was a credit to his outfit. He loosed a bolt of particle-beam energy at the electric warrior as soon as he saw him. 

But the newcomer was adept, too. He threw himself backward and was flat on the ground by the time the soldier triggered his weapon. The searing beam passed over his midsection and pulverized a tree trunk some yards behind him. It fell with a crash. 

The warrior in white lifted his hand as it was doing so and hit the soldier with an electric blast that stunned him. He fell, a bit more quietly than the tree. 

By this time, the installation was on alert. Thirty more men poured forth from the installation not far away. The helicopter began a quick descent. From a silo-like building whose garage-style door had retracted into its interior, a snow tank emerged and began clanking forward. The men and the tank were ready to use their weapons, and the soldiers' eyegear would show their enemies clearly. 

A voice rang out. "Halo, Geo, now!" 

A slim, white-clad shape soared down from an unknown point in the sky. First, she passed by the helicopter. A very curious thing occurred. 

Her body became surrounded by a lambent green halo. 

She had several of these haloes, each of a different color, each of a different power. The power she manifested now was a stasis beam. She directed it outward from her hands, and it struck the chopper and froze it in the air. It hovered, motionless, defying gravity through her power, and then men within it found they could not even pull the triggers of their guns. They were paralyzed. 

Another figure, clad in white like his fellows, ran out from a copse of trees, positioned himself below the helicopter and flung his own arms upward. The copter began to fall, more gently than it would have if its motive force had been suspended without Halo's beam. Within seconds, it was on the ground. The green aura about it faded, and the two men within shook off their paralysis. They considered training the chopper's armament on the man who faced them. 

He smashed through the door of the copter, tore it off, yanked both of them out, disarmed them, and bent their guns in half. Then he grasped the tail of the craft, exerted his strength, and, in a single effort, snapped it off the helicopter. 

The two men decided to stay put unless he came for them, and run if he did. 

Halo, the Outsider girl, continued downward. The menacing tank was about to enter the field of battle. But her part was hardly finished. She plummeted through the sky to a point less than thirty feet above it, and, while she flew, the color of her halo changed. 

It changed to orange. 

The power of her orange halo pushed forth from her hands, and it was a beam of mighty force by the time it struck the tank. It hit it right where Batman had told her to hit it, on the side, at an angle which pushed the monster machine over on its side. The tank's motion was arrested, but it was not yet defanged. 

Her halo changed to brightest red. 

The heat beam which resulted was directed against the barrels of the tank's cannon and machine gun, which melted. Then she used it to sever a tread of the tank, and it unravelled on its driving wheels and piled up on the ground, uselessly. 

The men inside obviously were thinking twice before daring to come out. 

The thirty men were still active, still armed, and still looking for people to kill. 

They were confronted by three new apparitions in white outfits. 

One of the three, a woman, unzipped the covering which held her sun-goggles onto her face mask. She looked out at the men facing them, and her eyes glowed. They glowed a brilliant blue. 

No less than ten of the men fell to their knees, dropped their weapons, grabbed their heads, and cries out in agony. 

The second, another woman, had two blades, both swords, one much longer than the other. Those of the men who had knowledge of such things knew them for Japanese weapons. Katana, to be precise. They estimated their hand-held weapons would be enough to turn her into dogmeat. 

They were very wrong. 

The lady kiaiied and somersaulted into their midst with an incredible bound, lashing out with her swords in a terrible, cleaving circle. Those close enough to receive the slashes on their backs or sides screamed, and most of them ran outward from the circle of steel. The snow below them was quickly stained in red. Two were stupid enough, despite their wounds, to turn and train their weapons on her. They were not directly opposite each other, and their weapons' particle beams would not hit each other. 

She easily ducked the crossing blasts, liberated a dagger from her boot, threw it at the leg of one gunman, whirled on the snow and slashed out with her longest blade at the shins of the other. It was impossible to tell which of the two screamed or bled first. She chopped through both their weapons with her blade. 

They were lucky. So far, none of her attackers were dead. 

That left one invader whose powers were not yet gauged. The men who remained saw him for what he was, a man, tall and powerful looking in his white snowsuit with all of his face and body concealed in it. But he had no gun, no blade, nor any other sort of visible weapon on his person. If he had to unzip the suit and withdraw something from it, that would give them plenty of time to turn him into a smoking spot on the ground. 

So the twelve who faced him readied their weapons. 

Before they could trigger them, he sprang forward an uncreditable distance and hit them like a whitewashed meteor. 

Fists. Feet. Knees. Edges of hands. Even the head. That was what the men contacted, or, rather, what contacted them. Smash after smash after smash. None of the soldiers involved in the brawl could get a clear picture of what was going on. All of them knew martial arts, or they would not have gotten the positions they occupied. But none had seen a system such as the man they fought employed. It would have done credit to Bruce Lee, and it was beyond their expertise. 

Even the other heroes stopped to watch their captain fight. 

But they didn't have to watch that long. Before long, the human whirligig had finished his work. The soldiers of Ra's Al Ghul lay beaten, senseless, in a circle around his feet. 

The gloves he wore were stained with red from broken noses and teeth, but not one of the men he fought were dead. The others could see him breathe, see his chest go up and down and the vapor come through the filter over his nose and mouth, but he did not seem to be breathing as heavily as any of them would after such an activity. 

"Phase Two now, boss?" said Metamorpho. 

"Let's crack this place," he agreed. 

An amplified voice drew their attention. 

"GOOD DAY, DETECTIVE," it said, and it came from a speaker affixed to the roof of the main building in the nearby compound. "THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER HOSTILITIES. PLEASE, ENTER MY HOME AS AN HONORED GUEST." 

They all stiffened and swung their heads in the direction of the voice. Their leader remained calm. 

He unzipped the hood of his snowsuit and showed all who were able to see it the cowled visage of the Batman. 

"Stay together," he said. "And be very, very careful." 

-B- 

The Outsiders and Batman had a stormy history to look back on, from the beginning. The team had worked with him, and without him. But they had all learned from him, and they all regarded him, though not without disagreement, as their leader. 

It had started not many years ago, when Lucius Fox of Wayne Enterprises found himself in the European nation of Markovia during a revolution. Batman had gone to the Justice League for help to get him out. But the United Nations had contacted the League beforehand, warned them that their intervention might escalate the conflict, and asked them not to intervene. Reluctantly, they had agreed, and told Batman as much. 

He had resigned the group on the spot. 

Batman had taken only Black Lightning with him, a hero with whom he had worked before--there were few heroes alive whom he hadn't teamed with, at one time or another--and found that several others in the heroic community were in Markovia at the time, including Halo, Katana, and Geo-Force, who had never been seen before that time. Together, they halted the revolution, overthrew the usurper Baron Bedlam, and put the rightful king of Markovia back on the throne. 

By the end of that adventure, Batman knew he had a new team. It was ironic, considering Robin had just started leading a group of new Teen Titans, whose activities came to take up most of his time. Metamorpho had remarked that the six of them were "a buncha outsiders." Geo-Force proposed it as a team name, and Halo exclaimed, in her little-girl way, "I like it! What do you think, Batman?" 

He had smiled and said, "I've heard worse." 

So it began. At the beginning, there was only the six of them. Black Lightning, alias Jefferson Pierce, an African-American schoolteacher with the power to throw bolts of electricity from his body. Metamorpho, a biochemical "freak" changed by an Egyptian artifact and given power to manifest himself as the pure elements of the human body, in whatever shape he chose. Halo, the merger of an other-being called an Aurikle and the body of a just-dead murderess, whose aura-powers were as formidable as her personality was juvenile. Geo-Force, brother of Markovia's king regent, whose powers of strength, gravity, and lava blasts derived from the Earth itself. Katana, a Japanese swordswoman and martial artist, by far the deadliest of the group. 

Later they picked up Looker, a formerly plain-looking girl turned beautiful and given psionic powers through a comet fragment. Just recently, Metamorpho had found his former partner, Element Girl, living alone on a pension from the CIA and withdrawing from the world, afraid to face it alone. He drew her out and insisted she try a stint with the Outsiders. She hadn't seen combat yet, but Batman had to admit she performed well with helping save Selina and in the battle just fought. The woman deserved a chance, and he was going to give it to her. 

But facing Ra's Al Ghul was one hell of a baptism of fire. 

In a way, he would have liked to face the Brotherhood of the Demon alone. But even when he first went against Ra's, he had chosen allies. This time, his allies had super-powers. He had to admit that they had performed excellently against their foemen. 

He also felt that Ra's had been holding back. 

Now the eight of them were within the mansion of the main compound, most of which was below ground, all of which was defended to the teeth. The heroes had shed their snowsuits and were carrying them. The interior of the building was well-heated, almost uncomfortably so, and Batman estimated that Ra's would at least hear why he had come. There was enough honor between them, he felt, for that. Not that he saw Ra's's honor as much more than thin ice. 

The guards within were more vigilant than those who were on the strike force, and they lined the walls of the headquarters mansion. "Keep an eye on them," he advised the others. 

Metamorpho took the advice literally, elongating his eyes out a good six feet and stretching them behind him in an effort to weird out the sentries. It almost worked. "Cut it out, Rex," said Batman. 

The Element Man popped his eyeballs back to their normal position and shape. "Bats, I sure hope married life loosens you up the way it did me." 

"Oh, Rex," said Element Girl. "Don't start another fight, please." 

They walked on black marble, past hanging tapestries of Middle Eastern origin and various other works of art, most of which, Batman judged, hid weaponry. 

Black Lightning said, "I've gotta leave a place that looks like this and go back to teaching at an inner-city P.S. later on this week. But y'know something? That crummy nightmare in brick smells a lot better than this place, just the same." 

Katana said, "Soft, Lightning. We must be near the presence of the Demon's Head." 

Halo looked at her friend. "Geez, Katana, doesn't it have a body to go along with it? I mean, you know." 

Geo-Force and Looker gave each other a sideways look and separately tried to keep from laughing in the midst of a den of death-dealers.   
  
They passed through a final passageway and saw a room whose opulence put the rest of the dwelling to shame. On a level above the main floor, a fairly large library reposed, connected to the lower level by a wrought iron staircase. 

On the main floor, beyond an ornate fountain in the middle of the room, stood a long table under illumination which was sufficient to limn the features of the man who sat there, but not much more. 

The man who sat there regarded them all with a mien that would have made a champion gambler seem a fidget. He sat there in his brown robe, dark brown pants, and black boots and glowered at them, confidently, but not without an unmistakable note of charisma. 

The top of his head was bald and he seemed to have no eyebrows. His eyes were well set within his head, under a formidable brow, and he did not seem to blink. He had a strangely-shaped short beard at the sides of his face and his chest and arms were slim but powerfully muscled. He looked to be as tall as Batman if he stood. 

More than one of the Outsiders, for at least a moment, wondered whether or not Ra's Al Ghul could be the Batman's opposite number. 

"Again, Detective, welcome," said Ra's. "Come. Sit at my table, counsel with me, and tell me your reason for coming." 

Batman strode forward at a pace that outdid that of the other Outsiders. His right hand went to a pouch within his belt and withdrew something from it. Ra's's eyes didn't miss the movement. 

Within another second Batman was standing beside Ra's. He took what was in his hand and slammed it into the table, point first. It stuck. 

The poison dart. 

"That thing was in my wife's neck a few hours ago," said Batman. "It damned near killed her. The poison is a sort that the Brotherhood has used before." 

"So I see," said Ra's, gingerly sending a hand forth to touch it. 

"The make of the dart is a kind which your assassins have used before." 

"Among others," Ra's observed, about to pluck it from the table to study. 

A blue-gloved hand reached out and grabbed him by the front of his robe, near the neck, and hauled him to his feet. From behind or between the shelves of books in the library above, eight men appeared, each with a weapon, all of them trained on Batman. "Guards, no!", called Ra's, raising his hand. They lowered their weapons. The Outsiders watched them, on alert. 

Batman took no notice. 

"You lowest piece of gutter-slime attempting a masquerade as a desert tribal chieftain, did you attempt murder on my wife?" His breathing, despite his attempt to control it, came hard. His grip was so hard that he might have lifted Ra's off the ground, if he raised his arm. 

But the master of the assassins was not so easily impressed. "Detective," he said, "you forget your manners." 

With a pressure of his fingers on Batman's hand, and a bit of cunning leverage, he pried the hand away and stepped back one pace, smoothing his robe a bit. "I have some knowledge of what befell you yesterday. Otherwise, your abuse of my hospitality would not go unnoticed. You have changed since our first meeting, Detective, and not for the better." 

Katana started forward. Without looking back, Batman said, "Stop." She stopped. 

Ra's regarded her. "A female samurai," he pronounced. "Loyal. Deadly. A fitting ally for yourself, Detective. Such a one as I might choose. She will undoubtedly serve you better than the boy who wore red and yellow." 

The Japanese woman said nothing. Her stare was as intent as Ra's's. 

"Someone almost killed my wife only minutes after we exchanged vows," said Batman, his voice colder than it had been, his stance more businesslike. "We barely managed to save her." 

"And how is she now?" 

"She's recovering. I had hoped, despite the appearance of the dart, that it wasn't one of your men." 

Ra's stepped a bit closer. "It could not be because you feared toface me." 

"Not a bit," said Batman. "I had hoped that you would be more honorable than that." 

"Then why are you here?" Ra's smiled, slightly. "I should ask. If the dart is one of my own, whom else would you go to first?" 

"We have enough power to bring this entire installation crumbling around your ankles," said Batman. 

"I have power enough to destroy you all where you stand," said Ra's. "Weapons which are attuned to my voice or physical positioning, a deadman control which would kill you all if I was slain. Your soldiers are powerful, Detective, but here they are more than outclassed." 

Black Lightning shifted position. "Any time you wanna find out, bubba." 

"Lightning, please," said Batman. To Ra's he said, "Convince me that you're not a suspect in this matter." 

Ra's raised both his hands in a dismissive gesture. "Why in the name of heaven above and hell below would I have attempted to murder your wife, Detective? Tell me." 

"I've put you in jail before," said Batman. 

"And I escaped, did I not?" 

"I've wrecked many of your crazy schemes in the past." 

"And I have hatched many, many more, including some you do not suspect the existence of," answered Ra's. "What then?" 

Batman played his trump. "You tried to marry me off to your daughter Talia. You still think the marriage is valid, because you performed the ceremony. But now I have married another woman." 

For the first time since they had seen him, Ra's looked grim. 

"Yes," he said. "There is that." 

Batman waited. 

Ra's sat back down in a chair which he had pulled out to allow him to face Batman as he sat. Then he spoke again. 

"That was an act of inhospitality. You refused the daughter of my loins. You rejected the opportunity to mix bloodlines with my family. You refused to sire a new generation for me. Indeed, you do not even regard my child Talia as your wife. To Westerners, this would mean nothing. You would call it an expression of your free will. To such as myself, it is a grave and demeaning insult. Do not think I have forgotten, Detective." 

"Dig that hole a little deeper, Ra's," said Batman, evenly, "and I'll put you in it." 

"I think not," said Ra's. "True, I could have done such a thing, for that reason. Yet, I did not. Why? Because, above all, Detective, I am a very, very practical man. 

"To begin with, there is the concept of justice. Your wife stood against me, once and only once. It is true, you gave me a death in that adventure. A quite painful death. But it was not permanent. Thus far, my deaths have been but trifles. One renewal in the Lazarus Pit and I am reborn. Her discomfiting of me was substantial, but not as great as your own. 

"No, her death would add but little to my power, and no profit. If I wished redress for my many hurts at your hands, then have no doubt, Detective: I would kill you. Someday, perhaps I shall. Perhaps not. Be that as it may, if I wished to use her against you, why would I kill her?" 

"To anger me," said Batman. "To make me reckless when I came against you." 

"Detective, Detective," sighed Ra's. "Yours is one of the finest strategically analytical minds I have ever encountered, but you are not using it. Why would I want you to come after me? Were I to desire your life, I would simply activate a group of my men from anywhere in the globe, and send them against you. You might triumph over one or many, but eventually one would kill you. This is a certainty, Detective. That scenario would be much more pleasing, because then I would face no danger from you--not that I shrink from danger, mind you, but I shrink from imprudence. Even if you defeated my men, even if you came after me, you would be driven by self-preservation, not by vengeance. Is this not so?" 

Batman did not answer. 

"Now, as to the matter of your wife. If I wished to use her against you, Detective, I can assure you of this: I would kidnap her. Oh, yes, I would. I would make certain that she was alive and that you knew it, but that you also knew that I had power over her. And thus I would have power over you. But I would not kill her. Not unless it presented great advantage to me, or unless all else was lost and it was the last stroke I could play. I promise you, Detective, I am far away from my last stroke." 

"You may be closer than you think." 

"Death follows close behind us all, Detective. But in most cases, I am the one who pushes its hand. No. I am not lying to you. I had nothing to do with the attempt on your wife's life. Now, if someday your wife should be taken by brigands, there is the possiblity, and no more than that, that I may be behind it. That will be if I need your help, and you refuse a polite request. Should you perform that request, she will be freed unharmed. This would be done, certainly." 

Batman said, "I'm not buying into all of that, Ra's. I remember a time when the Joker murdered an entire family and almost convinced me it was somebody else trying to pin the rap on him. But for the moment, let's say you really weren't behind it. Then who?" 

Ra's retorted, "Any number of individuals. The League of Assassins. The Cobra Cult. Perhaps the remnants of the Council still exist. At times, we all dipped from the same well. I cannot tell. I am sorry." 

"Could it be one of your men, gone renegade? A loose cannon?" 

Ra's tented his hands. "I would think not. My ranks are more disciplined than that. However, I will give you this, Detective. If one of my men is involved in this matter, I will send you his head in a box, and a note of apology. This, I promise." 

Batman said, "No, just turn him over to me. If and when you find him." 

"It will be so." 

Ra's got up from the chair. "Detective, our audience is ended. There is work to which I must attend. Should you need information which I may provide, call upon me. I will not commit myself unconditionally. But I may be of aid." 

Batman pulled the dart up from the table and stashed it within his belt again. "Until I crack this case, Ra's, you're still a suspect. But the fact that you're still conscious, and still in your rat's nest, means that I'm not yet convinced. You win--for now." 

The Outsiders breathed a little easier. But they still kept an eye on the guards above. 

"Until our next meeting, Detective," he said, "farewell." 

The Batman showed Ra's his back and walked out. The Outsiders followed, and formed a ring about him. Halo leaned in closer to him. "Do you think he really had something to do with it, Batman?" 

"Don't know, Halo," said Batman, briefly making sure the guards along the walls were still standing down. "We've just started our work. I didn't expect to break the case this soon." 

Geo-Force said, "Friend Batman, whence does our path lead now?" 

"Back to Gotham for the moment," Batman replied. "Where we will take every crook in Gotham from the Joker to the lowest pickpocket, grab him right where it hurts, and squeeze till we get some answers." 

"Uh, Batman, could I not do any of the squeezing, please?" begged Halo. "I mean, I'm not that kind of girl." 

"Hush, Halo," advised Katana. 

The eight of them walked on. 

-B- 

A reporter at one of the Gotham news stations made a call to Wayne Manor and was told by the butler there that Mrs. Wayne was recouping fairly well from her ordeal. But no, details weren't being released to the press yet, and no, Mrs. Wayne wouldn't be taking any interviews just now, even over the phone. The man thanked Alfred and left his number, should he reconsider. Then he hung up. 

The reporter sighed, stretched his legs, looked at the pile of paper on his desk, and decided the hell with it. 

Bats was a friend. He'd helped out on more than one occasion, and Wayne was one of his friends. The Catwoman was as close to an item as Batman ever seemed to get, before she went and got married to Mr. Moneybags. 

Maybe he could do Bats a left-hand favor. 

At any rate, it was time to shake some of the cobwebs loose and hit the town. 

Jack Ryder went into the men's room, opened a window, twisted a dial on his wrist, and left the room. But not through the door. 

The sound of a loud cackle was heard through the window, and gradually died away in the night. 

To be continued...   
  



	3. Chapter 3

bato3a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 3 

by DarkMark 

Helena Wayne sat in the Batcave at Selina Wayne's bedside with her hands in her lap, and Selina noticed that Helena's eyes never seemed to stop staring at her face. 

Finally, she said, "Hel, look. I don't mind you looking at me. But would you look somewhere else on occasion? For cat's sake, it makes me nervous." 

"Can't help it," said Helena. "You're so much, so much like my mother. She was the reason I became the Huntress, you know." 

"I know," said Selina, ruefully. "You've told me before. A bunch of times. Look, honey, I appreciate you being here." She lay her hand on one of Helena's. "It's just that you can't keep on thinking of me as your mama. I'm me. I'm the Catwoman from good old Earth-One, and I'm staying here." 

"And I'm glad," said the woman from Earth-Two. "Even if we did have to fight the first time we met." 

Selena chuckled. "I kinda wondered why you were holding back before you finally cold-cocked me. When Bruce finally explained it to me, I don't think I could talk for half an hour. I mean, there was another 'me' somewhere, and she had a daughter, and she was dead. Of course, by that time, the other Bruce was dead, too." 

Helena nodded, holding back the tears. 

Selina Kyle asked, "Hel, did that other Selina, your mother, have a sister?" 

"No," she said. "A brother. His name was Karl. He called himself the King of the Cats one time, when Mom was reformed, and tried to beat Batman, but he couldn't do it. Karl ended up in jail. But he went straight, got out, even managed to attend the wedding. And--the funeral." Helena turned away. "I'm--I'm sorry." 

"Helena. Don't be sorry. If you've got to cry, cry. Lord knows I've had to, enough times, over the years." 

"Yeah," said Helena. She took a handkerchief from her purse on a table nearby and daubed at her eyes. "Oh, yeah. I've got, a Ph.D., in..." 

"Helena. Come here." 

The daughter of the Batman and Catwoman of another Earth scooted the chair closer, still sniffling. Selina raised herself up in bed and took her in her arms. "That feel better, now?" 

"Some," admitted Helena. "God, here I am, big tough super-heroine from Gotham City. Can't even do anything to help you." 

"You hush, now. You're helping me just by being here, Helena. Wanna know something? It makes me feel good to see you, to know my, uh...the other-me had you for a daughter. I...well, I mean, it means there's a chance I could have a daughter, or maybe a son, who'd turn out just as good as you. After all that crap I wasted my life on, for so many years...maybe it will turn out good, in the end." 

"I love you so damn much, Aunt Selina," said Helena, hugging her and wetting Selina's nightgown with her tears. 

"I love you too, honey." Selina paused. "Your uncle Karl is still alive, isn't he?" 

"Yeah. Yeah, he is. He's a CPA, now. He's sorry he didn't make the wedding, but his kid is having an operation and he couldn't make it. He wanted me to bring back a photo of you and me together." 

"We'll take him one before you go. But I'm very glad your uncle is still alive, Hel. Because...well, I had a sister. Felicia was her name. She was a crook, like I used to be, but a lot less successful. She got in trouble down in a Louisiana prison. I sent Bruce out to...to get her out of it. And he couldn't. She...died." Selina swallowed, hard. "So I...well, I'm glad...that, if the other Selina had to die...at least her brother didn't have to die, too. D'you suppose that you could...well, maybe ask him sometime if he could come over? If you could sort of arrange it with the League and the Society to get him over here? I'd like to see him. That is, if he'd like to see me." 

Helena Wayne was getting it back together, but still glad to be in her other-mother's arms. "I have a feeling he will. I'll ask him, when I get back. Maybe when his son's out of the hospital, and when you're, you're feeling better...maybe we can arrange it. I'll sure try, you can bet on it." 

Selena gently disengaged from Helena and lay back on the bed. "There's another thing I've kind of wondered about, honey. You may not even know the answer." 

"I'll try." 

She propped herself on one elbow to face Helena. "From what I've been told, all the League people and all the Society people who share a name have met each other. You know, the two Flashes, the two Supermen, the Wonder Women, and all that. Dick even told me he met the other Robin. Well, I've met him, too, at the wedding. But Bruce never met the other Bruce, from your Earth. I know your father's dead now, but there were years when they could have gotten together. But they never did. Why was that?" 

Helena took a deep breath and looked at the stalactite-studded ceiling. "I asked Daddy about it one time. At first he wouldn't answer me. Then he finally broke down and told me. He said that...he didn't like the thought that there was another man who went through the same thing that he did, that there was another Thomas and Martha Wayne that got killed, and another Joe Chill who did it to them. He knew what kind of hell he'd had to put himself through to become the Batman. He also asked why God would allow two sets of Waynes to be killed, just so two Batmen could come into being. Also, he wasn't like Clark. He wasn't comfortable with the notion of a counterpart of himself even existing. So he didn't come to any JLA-JSA parties. He was kind of glad that on the one time he and Dick were kind of yanked into one, your Bruce didn't show up." She hung her head. "Of course, that's just the way my dad felt. I don't know about your Bruce's feelings." 

Quietly, Selena Wayne said, "I think you've just told me about them." 

-B- 

The Outsiders were crammed into two Batplanes, headed back to America. Metamorpho flew the second one. Element Girl elongated her head into the cockpit and kissed him on top of the head, then snaked the rest of her body into the cockpit. Rex grinned. "Don't ever do that when Sapphire's around, honey." 

Urania Blackwell compressed her elementally-altered body into an area of the plane near the pilot's chair. "Yeah, but I can't help it here, Rex. You got me out of that damn depression and I'm soooo grateful." Her arms wound around him several times, like pythons, and gently squeezed him. 

"Honey, I can't fly the plane and play mumblety-peg with ya," said Metamorpho. "So leggo. Please? Not like I'm tryin' to be ungrateful, but I don't wanna autopilot this thing right now." 

"I understand, honey." She transformed her arms into gas, then reformed them nearer her body. "And I know it can't be like it used to be for us." She shrugged. "But getting out of that room, getting to meet people again...that's enough." 

The Element Man swung his calcium-colored head her way. "You oughtta told me about it a long time before you did. You really shoulda told me, Rainie." 

"I know." She rested her arms on her bare knees, one gray, one brown. Her body was a female counterpart of Mason's. "But after we wrapped up that Scavenger case, and you got back together with Sapphire, you got stuck in that glop by Simon Stagg, remember? And you stayed there for, must've been over a year." She hugged herself. "He wouldn't make one for me. I wasn't one of his employees." 

"Were you ever lucky," muttered Metamorpho. Simon Stagg, his father-in-law and employer, was never known as the most affectionate or easy-to-live-with humans on the planet. 

"Well, Stagg thought it was going to cure you, make you human again," said Rainie. "Maybe it would have, if you'd been able to stay in it long enough." 

"Yeah, and if I had, Sapph would have been murdered by the Bounty Hunter," Rex replied. "The Bat Guy helped me save her. I don't forget things like that. I helped him out on other stuff, as a payback, like that Ruby Ryder mess. What the hell, maybe being like this isn't the worst thing in the world, after all." 

"Seemed like it was for me," said Element Girl. 

"Dammit," said Metamorpho. "I knew you'd been doin' secret agent stuff for the government, Rainie. You were on assignments when I was in Stagg's glop. I figured you were in deep cover somewhere. Then some lady calls me and tells me you weren't workin' for the Company anymore, and you'd been holed up in a hotel room for so many years." 

The green-haired girl nodded. 

"Why in Sam Hill didn't you call me?" Rex turned his head to stare straight at her. 

"You know why," she said. "I've told you." 

"Yeah, but Sapphire was not a good enough reason why. So I'm in love with her. Does that mean I stopped being friends with you? Jeez. Like when you started working for Uncle Sam, they took your brains out as a requirement." 

Her hands, transformed into chlorine gas, went in front of his mouth. He coughed for a second before she changed them back to normal and withdrew them. "Don't ever do that," he gasped. "You ever noticed, I'm trying to fly a plane here?" 

She grinned evilly. Then she said, "You still remember how long you had to talk to me through the door before I opened it?" 

"Oh, yeah. And I still remember how bad the place smelled once you did." 

"You're gonna get sulphur in the face for that!" 

"You're gonna get water if you try!" 

Geo-Force poked his head through the doorway. "Excuse me, Rex. A little turbulence we have gone through? The plane seemed to dip for a moment." 

"We're doing fine, Brian," said Metamorpho. "Urania here's been a real gas. No more problems, I promise." 

Geo nodded and withdrew, then went back to sit with Looker. She said, "Well? How are the two white-faced wonders?" 

He looked at her, quizzically. "It was a thing of very much curiosity, Lia. Up until just now, I did not think that Element Girl could blush." 

-B- 

Batman acknowledged Black Lightning's entry of his cockpit with a brief, "Hello, Jeff," but did not look at him. 

"Hello yourself," said Jeff Pierce, chummily. "Bats, you never told me how scary that Ra's Al Ghul dude was. I mean, Tobias Whale is a big enough deal where I come from. But that guy makes Fatso look like a 12-year-old numbers runner." 

"12-year-old numbers runners come pretty tough these days," said Batman, still looking out at the grey sky through the windshield. "Kids of all sorts pack guns in school. I thought it was tough enough when they just used knives. That fact scares me almost as much as Ra's does. Almost." 

Black Lightning nodded, soberly. "I do know that fact. Maybe even better than you. Had to take a gun away from a boy for the first time in class last year. Oughtta change the name of our 'hood to Homicide Slum, 'stead of Suicide Slum. Hell, Bats, maybe I ought to quit this gig and go back to being a solo act full-time. The 'hood sure needs me." 

Batman turned to him and lay a hand on his arm, gently. "We all need you, Jeff. I've been down even more mean streets than you have, in my day. But evil comes from all directions, on all levels. When the Justice League needed me to fight something over the power-level of the Joker, I came. I was part of the team, an integral part of it. Just like you're part of our team. We need you. I need you, too." 

"Yeah," said Lightning. "But I gotta be back to class tomorrow. We don't all do this for a living, Bruce." 

"Neither do I," said Batman. "Though I have to admit I've been able to structure my life around it a little bit easier than you. You need some money, Jeff?" 

"No," Pierce said, firmly. "Friendship, I accept. Charity, I will not take. Thanks, Bats." He paused. "Listen, I'm not dropping out. I want to help you find the one who tried to whack Selina, sure enough. But I've got committments." 

"The best commitments there are," acknowledged the Darknight Detective. "The commitment to educating a new generation. Just help out when you can, Jeff. That'll be enough." 

Black Lightning didn't say anything. At that point, he couldn't. Batman had a rep as a scary dude, and he was that, especially if you were on the other side of the law from him. Even those on the team treaded lightly around him, sometimes. But he also had a rep as a ruthless dude, and Jeff Pierce knew for a fact that wasn't true. Batman had a heart, maybe as big a one as he'd ever known in a man, and he helped just as many straight folks as he beat down crooked ones. The straights were mighty grateful for it, too--all the times he'd saved lives, helped out with some discreet financial aid, got families back together again, put people back on the right-hand path. 

It was just that the newspapers only printed stuff about him taking down the bad guys. 

But Jeff knew there was a lot more to the man than that. 

He figured Bats knew enough about who Jeff Pierce was by now, too. 

Jeff Pierce was a kid from Metropolis's Suicide Slum, a bad neighborhood that, unfortunately, didn't get any better when blacks seeking work in World War II moved up there from the South...it just changed colors. His dad had been one of those workers, and his dad, some years after getting married and fathering Jeff, had gotten shot to death by accident. In Suicide Slum, that was kind of unique. Most accidents there were on purpose. 

There were still good white folks in Suicide Slum, and one of them was Peter Gambi, though Jeff later found out he wasn't as good as he should have been. He was a tailor who took Jeff and his mother in after the death of Jeff's father. Gambi, Jeff later found out, made suits for super-villains, including a lot who fought the Flash. But back then, he was just a kindly old man who helped Mama make ends meet, and didn't ask for the kind of payment some white men would have asked for in return. 

Jeff knew Suicide Slum, hated it, and figured athletics was his best way out. So he got good enough to go to the Olympics, went there, and brought home the gold for the Decathlon. That felt damn good. It also helped him get into Kent State university, where he took his degree in English. After that, he started teaching in New Carthage at a high school and was going to move his mother out of the Metropolis ghetto as soon as possible. 

But it wasn't soon enough. She died there, and he came back to Suicide Slum for the funeral. 

He looked at the place from a new aspect, then. Beforehand, it had been an enemy he wanted to escape. Now, it was an enemy he wanted to beat. 

Pierce transferred from New Carthage to a p.s. in his old neighborhood within the month. 

It was tough, but he knew it would be tough. The kids weren't as bright as the ones he had been used to teaching. Too many of them got advanced just by age. He didn't like that, but the local school system did, and he resigned himself to making sure the kids in his classes, at least, weren't cheated out of knowledge by him slacking off in despair. 

But there was a lot of dope, and a lot of guns, and a lot of crime. An outfit called the 100 had its mark on Suicide Slum, and its hand touched the backs of too many of the young people in his school. Jeff Pierce broke down and told Peter Gambi about it one night, and Gambi had a possible solution. The kind of solution he used to make for bad guys. Only this time, he'd make it for a good guy. 

Gambi made him a black, dark blue, and yellow costume with a white mask and a big phony Afro wig to conceal his identity. But that wasn't the important thing. The real deal was the power belt Gambi designed. It gave him the power of electricity. The power of lightning. With the belt on, he could throw bolts of energy from his hands, surround himself with a force field of electromagnetism, and amplify his strength. 

With the belt on, he was Black Lightning. 

And Black Lightning went out into Suicide Slum, challenged the 100 and its local chief, Tobias Whale, and won. It was hard as hell, and it didn't automatically clean up the ghetto from evil influences. But he had struck a powerful blow against the criminal element, and, soon enough, his section of Metropolis didn't need much attention from a mostly-absent Superman. 

In his time, Black Lightning had teamed up with a bunch of super-heroes, mostly white, but what the hell. Superman was the first, since he was a homeboy. Then he met Batman, Green Arrow, and the whole Justice League. They wanted him on their team, but it just wasn't his scene. There was no sense in running around trying to fight some idiots in costumes trying to conquer the world when there was no one else but him and the overworked cops to keep trouble down in Suicide Slum. At least, that was the way he looked at it. 

A power feedback in the belt transferred the electrical powers to Jeff's body, which made things a little easier. At least, that was what he thought, until what happened, happened. 

It happened when he was blasting a couple of holdup men in a subway car below the Metropolis streets. Jeff Pierce had just happened to be there, and turned into Black Lightning. A teenaged girl named Tricia Shelton had just happened to be there, too. The hero had kayoed one of the hoods with a bolt. The hood's hand had pulled the trigger of his gun, reflexively. Tricia got in the way of the shot, and she died. 

He'd tried to restart her heart with electrical jolts and CPR, but she was gone. The law and the media didn't blame him. She'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she'd bought it. Her parents, and one other, blamed Black Lightning for her death. 

The other one who blamed him was himself. 

Jeff hung up the Black Lightning costume after that, and, when he tried to see if he could still use the powers a few months later, found out that they wouldn't activate. So he'd put the costume in a safe place, took it out every now and then to remember what it had been like, just like he took out his Olympic medals, and then quietly put it back. 

He might have stayed a plain high school teacher if Batman hadn't contacted him about a mission. 

The Bat Guy needed to get a friend of his out of a foreign country, and he couldn't rely on the Justice League anymore. In fact, he'd quit the League, because their hands were tied up by politics. Jeff didn't have the powers anymore, but he still had the body, and he'd functioned as Black Lightning once for a brief time when he'd lost them before. And he owed the Batman one from a time before. 

So he pulled the old suit out of the trunk and joined up with Bats and that crazy-looking cat, Metamorpho, to save the bacon of Batman's friend, who turned out to be a brother named Lucius Fox. Along the way they met some new recruits, Geo-Force, Katana, and Halo. 

Also along the way, Black Lightning found out he still had the powers. His guilt-trip had just made them harder to get at, was all. He used them again. 

And they felt damned good. 

So, during that incident, the Outsiders had been born, and Black Lightning had ridden with the bunch on a regular basis. It felt a lot better to him than the notion of joining the JLA, even if they did get into some wild-ass adventures. He also respected Batman as a leader, and as a friend. Batman gave him a lot of respect, as well. 

Black Lightning had met up with the parents of Trisha Shelton less than a year after the group began. Mrs. Shelton had hired the Masters of Disaster, a team of super-villains, to capture him and stage his execution. But Batman and company came to rescue him, Mrs. Shelton got hurt by one of the villains, and both she and her husband finally admitted that Lightning hadn't been responsible for Trisha's death. They forgave him. 

That went a long way towards Jeff's forgiving himself. He wasn't all the way there, and he knew he never would be. But it helped. 

From that point on, he figured he'd always be an Outsider. 

For a time, Bats dropped out, or they left him, over another political thing. The Outsiders went out on their own for a good while, and Batman had rejoined the JLA. But he didn't stay out for long, and all of them were grudgingly glad he came back. Now Batman belonged to two teams, and if that was okay by him, it was okay by the rest of them, as well. 

But now they were into something that might've been Bats's private war, even though they'd been dragged into it. In a way, he felt honored. Batman would have done this sort of thing solo before. Now he trusted them enough to let the Outsiders in on this sort of gig. 

In another way, he was unsettled. There were parts of Batman's affairs that even he hadn't penetrated into, before recently. Ra's Al Ghul was heavy stuff. If the Catwoman whack attempt brought them into this sphere of influence, it was going to be a whole new baptism of fire for the team. For him, too. 

"God help you, Bats," muttered Black Lightning as he left. "'Cause I won't always be able to." 

-B- 

Commissioner Gordon wanted to retire so badly he'd give up half his pension to do it, right then. But every time he contemplated it, one of the boys with the funny names and deadly m.o.'s got out of Arkham Asylum or the state pen. Then he had to have Sgt. Hainer go up and turn on the big searchlight on the roof and make all the yokels go finger-pointy at the big image of a bat in the sky. 

Well, this time he hadn't had to do it. Batman had called him a day ago and told him that he was getting right on the Selina Kyle, excuse him, the Selina Wayne case, and he'd contact him when he was back in town. Jim Gordon could understand that. Batman had carried a lot of emotional baggage related to Catwoman for a long time, even though he'd put her in the slammer so many times he couldn't count them. It was probably a good thing she ended up with Bruce Wayne. He had a feeling that this time, her reform would stick. 

Maybe Batman needed a good wife, too. On the other hand, he didn't know for sure that he wasn't a married man, though he claimed to be single the last time Gordon had asked. Whatever the case, he was glad Batman hadn't ended up with the Catwoman. 

Right now, Gordon was talking to Alfred, the Waynes' butler. "Well, when will Bruce be able to talk to me?" he said. "Is it exactly a normal thing for a man to leave his wife at a time like this, Alfred?" 

The butler took an audible breath. "Sir! I must say, the implications of your statement are positively monstrous. Master Wayne is implementing his own methods of gathering information as to Mistress Wayne's assailant. Mistress Wayne has given her blessing to him in this endeavor. Dr. Dundee has made a complete diagnosis of her present condition. I trust you have a fax of his report?" 

Gordon sucked on his pipe, then said, "Yeahp, I've got the fax. But I want to talk to Bruce as soon as possible. Both as a member of the department, and as a friend. The nightly news is bound to get ahold of him being absent from Selina at this time, Alfred, and I don't have to tell you that it won't look good." 

"Acknowledged, sir," said Alfred. "But Mistress Wayne is in good hands. Including my own, and several others of the family. She is making progress, but she is in seclusion. Until the perpetrator is found and caught, we feel that this is the best way." 

"We can put her in protective custody, Alfred. In fact, it'd be a damn sight better if we did." 

"No, sir," said Alfred. "With all due respect, we feel differently." 

"Well, have him call me, anyway," said Gordon. "Wherever he is, he's bound not to be far from a cell phone. The department will look like crap if they're not involved in solving this thing." 

"Your department has a fine, sterling, and well-deserved reputation, Commissioner," said Alfred. "As does the Batman. When the master calls, I shall have him contact you. Good day." 

Gordon took his pipe out with one hand and punched another button on his phone. "O'Hara," he said. "Get a squad car ready. I'm going to Arkham." 

"Yes, sir," said the chief's Irish tenor. "But, beggin' your pardon, sir, why Arkham? Isn't everybody there that needs ta be?" 

"Maybe I'm just going to do a head count," grumbled Gordon, and punched the off button. 

There was a knock on his door. "Come in," he said. 

His daughter Barbara, redheaded and lovely in a green outfit, entered. "Dad," she said, looking composed. "I haven't been able to dig up anything so far on the Wayne case." 

"Didn't expect you to," he said, getting up and pulling his coat off the rack. "You're not a police officer, and the case is only a day old. It's our balliwick, Barbara. Even though you're very good at what you do." 

"I'm going to try to hook up with some of the others," she said. Gordon had learned years ago that his daughter was Batgirl, but the Batman's true identity was a mystery to him. "It's my balliwick, too." 

He lay a hand on her shoulder. "Yours is staying out of trouble for the moment. If someone was gunning for the Catwoman, they might have a shot or two reserved for you as well. Do you remember the last time you got wounded?" 

She nodded, grimly. "By Cormorant. I almost quit being...you know. But this isn't that, Dad. I have to help on this one. I may have fought Selina in the past, but now she's the wife of a friend. We're all involved in this." 

"You want to get involved?" He pulled on his coat and took his hat from the rack. "Come with me. I'm going to talk to some hotshots at Arkham. Have coffee with the Joker, Two-Face, and Croc. Could be an interesting afternoon." 

"Couldn't keep me away from it, Dad." Barbara Gordon smiled. 

The two of them left through the front door of the Gotham City Hall of Justice. A small mob of reporters were there, flashing bulbs and wanting to know about the Wayne case. He no-commented them all, and the two of them got into the back of the car that waited for them at the bottom of the stone steps. 

Captain O'Hara drove them away to Arkham Asylum. 

-B- 

Katana told Halo to talk with Black Lightning while she went up front to consult with the Batman. The Japanese woman entered the presence and sat down beside him in the co-pilot's seat, waiting. 

"We're going back to Gotham," he said. "You'll need some sleep and mealtime before our next jog. I don't think Jeff will be with us on it." 

She nodded. "But I will be by your side," she said. 

"I was counting on it," he said. "Thank you." 

Katana shifted in the seat. "You have another suspect." She said it as a statement, not a question. 

"The next one of many," he answered. When she didn't say anything, he finally told her. 

"Kobra. We're going after Kobra." 

Katana smiled. 

"I shall enjoy that very much," she said, and polished her sword with a paper. 

To be continued...   



	4. Chapter 4

bato4a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 4 

by DarkMark 

Once, Bruce Wayne claimed that he didn't have nightmares. That he gave them to other people. For the most part, both statements were true. 

When his father showed up in a dream, Bruce (who found himself dressed in his Batman uniform) was not panicked. Thomas Wayne appeared to him in a smoking jacket, pants, and brogans, the way he dressed around the house when Bruce had been a boy. He was not hostile or reproving, but there seemed a bit of distance. Bruce was grateful for that, somehow. 

Thomas Wayne produced a pipe and a tobacco pouch from nowhere. "Care for one?" he asked his son. 

Bruce shook his cowled head. "I'm in training. I'm always in training. What's up, Dad?" 

The elder Wayne took his time about answering, loading the stuff into his Meerschaum and lighting it (again, with a match that appeared from nothingness and returned to such after Thomas had used it) and taking a puff or two first. "You haven't even asked about your mother." 

"How is she?" 

"I can't tell you." 

"Thoughful of you, Dad," said the Batman, evenly. He crossed his arms and waited. When Thomas did not speak, he finally took the initiative. 

"Why have you come to me now?", asked Batman. 

Thomas shifted his pipe in his mouth. "The nightwings slip twixt brain and lip and yet we can't speak for fear we'd trip. Dreams are illogical, you know." 

"All things are illogical," the cowled man answered. "Until you impose logic upon them. And logic can be imposed on all things. Even dreams. Freud proved that." 

Thomas Wayne took his pipe out of his mouth and laughed till he coughed. "Freud. Most annoyed. Heavens to Murgatroyd, boy, Freud knew so little about the territory. In some ways, he was flat off the beam. In others, he'd barely scratched the surface." 

Batman waited. 

"Your wife's life's near the knife," said Thomas, and his face seemed to pale a bit for a second. He grinned. "Yet you gadabout like a bat out of swells and don't know what you're chasing. Why? Try." 

The caped man wheeled in anger. Then he caught himself. Even in a dream, this was his father. Yes, he was angry at him. For dying. For putting him on this cruel, dark treadmill. For leaving him. 

For making him have to be the Batman. 

But he was still his father. Even in a dream. 

"I seek the man or woman who tried to kill her," he said, with an undertone of menace. "She won't be safe till I capture him." 

"A him? How long has it been since you sang a him?" Thomas looked gravely upon his son. 

Batman stepped closer to his father. "I'll sing his dirge. I've got an urge to sing his dirge. I do." 

Thomas said, "Come. Sit." An easy chair appeared behind Thomas, made of alligator hide and gold, and he sat in it. Batman saw he was standing on nothing. So he knelt on it, and felt more comfortable. 

"Now then, son," Thomas Wayne continued, "I was quite luckier than you as a boy. Martha and I got killed at the same time, no rhyme. Or reason. That meant I didn't have to waste my time or season on dressing up in my old Helloweenie costume and hunting down Joe Chill to make him spill. Or Lew Moxon to put his rocks on. Or socks on. We were together and fine. She says hi." 

"You said that you couldn't tell me about her," pointed out Batman. 

"Did I? Well, then, she doesn't say hi." 

Thomas kicked his leg up over his knee and bent it about three times around his other leg. "You see your problem, boy? You just don't have a sense of timing about these things, or kings. You should have arranged to die so high with your wife. That's life. You die at the same time, that's no crime. You're together forever. All weather. No more bills to pay, no more dragons to slay, no more kids to worry over, no more patients to hurry over. Life's endurable, but death's incurable. You see what I'm hearing?" 

Batman took a deep breath of something. "Dad, this isn't doing any good. Neither Selina nor I am dead. We're going to make babies. We're going to raise a family." 

"Will you?" Thomas thrust his face so close Batman was sure he could smell the pipe smoke, if there was any to smell. "If you die so high, who'll make the babies? Maybes? Shouldn't you let bygones go on and begone? Tell the shooter to scoot 'er, you'll forgive and let live and give. Go home and not roam. Nor foam." 

"You know I can't do that," said Batman. "Whoever did it knows who I am." 

"Do you know who you are?" 

Thomas wasn't smiling. 

Batman exhaled. "Sometimes, I'm not sure. But there's more to this than just someone trying to kill my wife. I can sense that. I just haven't got all the pieces in the puzzle tray yet." 

"Someday you'll hang up the boots, the suits, and the bandicoots," said Thomas. "Unless you die with them on. Wouldn't that be a con?" 

Batman got as far as opening his mouth. He found himself unable to make a sound. He groped his throat, and found two holes near his jugular vein. 

"Begone," said Thomas. 

Bruce came awake all at once. 

For a second he stared around wildly at the rock walls and scientific equipment about him. Then he caught sight of the woman sleeping in the other bed, the one with the monitors hooked to it. Actually, his "bed" was little more than a cot, but he didn't mind. 

He was in the Batcave. 

That was reassuring, but not as much as it should have been. Instead of charging straight after Kobra, Batman had opted to head back to Gotham to catch some sleep and allow the Outsiders some down time. Lord knows they'd need it, when they went against the man in the snake suit. 

He looked to the bedside tray where he'd placed his wallet and watch. It was almost noon. Bruce usually knocked off Batman duty around 5 a.m. and slept till early afternoon, then took care of business at the Wayne Foundation. He intended to do a little of that today, and to show Bruce Wayne's face in public. Alfred had told him of Gordon's words before he had hit the sack. Bruce knew that it would look a bit wrong not to be by Selina's side in her condition. But, at the time, it couldn't really be helped. 

Selina was waking up. He moved over to her bed and took her hand as she opened her eyes. "Morning, Bruce," she said, tiredly. Her hand was a bit shaky. 

"Afternoon, Selina," he said. "You're keeping the same hours as me, these days. How are you feeling?" 

"Oh, better, I suppose. It'll be great when I don't have to use a bedpan. I'm not used to this sickie stuff, Bruce. I want to put on the dress and hit the roofs with you. Come here." He bent closer and she raised herself up and kissed him. Then she fell back in bed. "That's about all I've got strength for," she said, forlornly. 

He pulled up a chair and sat in it. "You'll be fine, Selina. We'll all see to that. After this is done, we'll spend quality time together. I promise you that." 

She looked at him. "I know, Bruce. Quality time, until Mr. Green Hair and Red Lips breaks out of Arkham again. Or the Penguin, or Nigma, or any of those types. Remember, I used to be one of them." 

"You're not any more. You're my wife." 

"Right, 'n' I'm still the Catwoman. Going to be your partner, Bruce. That way, we can be together no matter what suits we wear." She shifted about in her bed. "But I'm not sure how many years we can keep on wearing 'em, Bruce." 

He looked at his feet, then at Selina. "Nor am I, Selina. But as long as the Batman's enemies are about, there has to be a Batman to fight them." 

She looked at him sadly. "What about a Bruce Wayne to be father to our son or daughter? Or both?" 

Bruce sighed. "I'm going to be that, too. My father was a great influence in my life, even with the hours a doctor keeps. He was--" Pausing, Bruce knew he had to admit the truth to himself, as well as Selina. "If I hadn't become the Batman, I would have wanted to be like him." 

"You think you could have become a doctor?" 

"No. But whatever I did, I would have done it in the manner he would have. As a good man." 

She reached out to him. "Bruce, darling, don't you understand? You already have." 

The two embraced for a very long time. 

-B- 

Blinky Whyte and his gang (both of them) had been involved in breaking into an ATM in the wee wee hours, and were confident their lack of technical expertise could be overcome by the weight of the sledgehammers they used to bust the mother open. Sure, the alarm would go off, and the cops would come. But they could be out of there long before the cops arrived. 

Or they would have been, if somebody hadn't started laughing that horrible laugh just as they got started. 

Blinky and his two companions, Sam and Eddie, heard a tremendous thump on the roof of the ATM booth a second or two after the laughter had started. Somebody was on top of the thing, and he was still laughing. 

Then a head hung upside down in their view. A head with a tremendous grin on it, and the clincher: grass-green hair. 

At that point, Blinky and his boys weren't too concerned with niceties like the head's skin color, or the fact that a red-dyed sheepskin was hanging down from the newcomer's shoulders on either side of the head. The three of them had processed two pertinent facts. 

1) Laughter. 

2) Green hair. 

They managed to get out a string of frightened obscenities, but the only really relevant thing they said was two words: "The Joker!" 

In such cases, you didn't stop to wonder why the Joker would want to horn in on you busting up an ATM and grabbing the money. Maybe it was his territory. Maybe he needed the dough, too. Maybe he just didn't like your looks, or it had been too long since he killed somebody. It really didn't matter. 

All that mattered was getting the hell out of there before he did something that left you on a slab with a toe tag and a big grin all over your face. 

The three of them leaped at the glass and metal door like so many college kids crowded in a phone booth. Sure, the Joker was out there, but there was a lot more "out there" than there was "in here," and thus a lot more space in which to run away from him. Blinky, Sam, and Eddie were operating on survival instinct. None of them was very big on analysis, anyway. 

Mister Green Hair swung down from the top of the booth like an Olympics acrobat and targeted two of the gang with his feet just as they got the door open. Sam and Eddie were knocked back inside. Blinky, between the two of them, got caught briefly in a head scissors and was thrown back himself by an unbelievable move the guy executed. 

The guy was still laughing. 

Sam, who was the only one packing heat, pulled out his .38. Blinky shouted, "Sam, no!", thinking about the cramped quarters and the chances of being hit by a stray slug. But it didn't matter to Sam, or to the guy they were facing. 

The Joker, or whoever the guy was, grabbed Sam's wrist and yanked it upward hard enough to dislocate the crook's arm at the shoulder. Sam cried out. Green Hair whacked him with an elbow and then bashed Sam's head hard against the metal portion of the money machine on the wall. Sam went down and did not come up. 

Eddie was scared as hell, but he was carrying a switchknife which was all business and had seen much usage before in such situations. He yelled something unintelligible, more or less like a soldier shouting when he hits combat. The Joker-guy had his back to him. It was all covered with that red sheepskin stuff. Blinky noticed that the Joker was wearing green trunks, too, and his arms and legs were yellow. 

If that was the way the Joker looked, no wonder he freaked people out. 

It was unbelievable, but Green Hair did a handstand in the cramped quarters and tagged Eddie a good one in the face with his red-shoed foot. Eddie fell back against the glass wall of the booth, almost breaking through it. Green Hair got back on his feet. His left hand came out in a slap and hit Eddie's knife wrist. Eddie had a good grip on the knife, but his foe knocked it loose from his hand as if the handle was coated with melted butter. 

Then he lifted Eddie by his shirt in one hand, held him right off the ground, and laughed in his face. Eddie was turning white. "Don't kill me," he sputtered. "Please. I got two wives and four kids and they'd all die if they heard you killed me. Please. I didn't know it was your turf. Please." 

The guy's fist shot out and escorted Eddie to dreamland. 

Then he dropped Eddie to the floor, and Blinky took notice of another problem. 

Mr. Green Hair was between Blinky and the door. 

"Muh," said Blinky, shrinking against the slightly broken back wall of the ATM. "Muh, muh." He had something he wanted to say, but the connection between brain and mouth seemed to have a few lines down. 

The green-haired man dragged Blinky up by both shoulders and banged his back hard against the wall. He was grinning like he was measuring Blinky for a midnight snack. 

"If you have any weapons, I'd suggest you forget about them," said Green Hair. His face, Blinky noted, was all yellow too. Mutely, Blinky nodded. 

"If you have any knowledge of the hit on Selina Kyle, the Catwoman, I suggest you tell me." The guy's hands tightened on Blinky's shoulders. The crook cried out in pain. 

"I, I don't know nothin'! I don't know no Selina Catwoman. Honest I don't! I ain't lyin'!" 

The grinning guy paused, then nodded. "Good. That's good. I believe you. You can imagine what I would do if I didn't." 

"Yeah," said Blinky. "I can imagine. I can imagine real, real good." 

"The police will be here soon," said Green Hair. "After they take you, spread the word to everyone you meet in jail: anyone who has information about the hit on the Catwoman must give it to Commissioner Gordon or Bruce Wayne, or face my wrath." 

"Y-y-you got it," Blinky affirmed. "I'll, I'll tell everybody I know. Tell the cockroaches in my cell." 

"Do that," said his captor. "Especially the human ones." 

Then he let Blinky down. Blinky slumped, sitting on the floor. The green-haired man turned to go, not giving a damn that his back was to Blinky and that a .38 still lay on the floor of the booth. Both he and Blinky knew that Blinky had more sense than to try and use it. 

Blinky gathered all his courage. "Uh. Mr. Joker. Will I be all right if nobody, like, knows anything?" 

The man turned, and, impossibly, his grin was wider than before. 

"You might be better off in the hands of the Joker if you disobey. As for me, know that anyone involved in the Kyle incident will learn one thing, to their great regret. They will learn to beware the Creeper!" 

With that, the guy threw back his head and laughed again, and didn't stop. Not even when he burst out the door of the ATM booth and did handsprings and somersaults over the asphalt of the parking lot outside and bounded to the roof of a nearby building and scampered away like a jungle creature on the prowl. 

"Oh, God," breathed Blinky, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides. He looked at Sam and Eddie, still mercifully unconscious, at the gun and the money on the floor. He heard, unmistakably, the sound of sirens coming nearer, and felt more secure for hearing them. 

The guy hadn't been the Joker. But he was close enough for Blinky Whyte. 

When the cops finally arrived, Blinky said, "Do either one of you guys know anything about this Selina Catwoman getting whacked?" 

The two flatfeet had looked at each other, then back at Blinky. "You have the right to remain silent," one of them said. 

"I've got to ask everybody about this Selina Catwoman," said Blinky. "It's important." 

As they cuffed him and pushed his head down to fit him into the back seat of their car, Blinky reflected that he was glad to be going where he was. 

There were a lot of guys at the precinct desk and in the holding tank he could ask about this Selina Catwoman broad. 

Surely one of them would know about her, if she was that important. 

-B- 

Alfred Pennyworth served turkey sandwiches at brunch to master Bruce and the Outsiders, and was thankful that Looker, though a model, was not a vegetarian. It was reassuring to him to see that Metamorpho and Element Girl ate the things without trouble, though he doubted that their multicolored elemental bodies took much sustenance from normal food, if anything. He served coffee and tea to them while Bruce Wayne spoke to his team. 

"We'll start the Kobra operation tomorrow," said Bruce. "With him, you have the benefit of having faced him several times before. Not that he's any less deadly than Ra's, but the devil you know, and so forth." 

Halo said, "Um, will Black Lightning be coming along with us? I know he's teaching today, but d'you suppose he could, like, take a day of abscence or something? If he got a note from the principal?" 

The rest hid their smiles, especially when Katana gave them a nasty look. She was almost Halo's surrogate mother, and none of them particularly liked to cross her. 

Bruce's small smile was friendly, not mocking. "Jeff will probably be absent, but we'll keep him posted. He'll join us when he can. Educating the young people of Gotham is as important as fighting crime, and he's excelled at both professions." 

"Oh. Okay," said Halo, pleased that she hadn't gotten a you're-dumb response from Bruce. Then again, she reflected, from him she never did. 

Looker, finishing her turkey on Swiss, said, "We're not going to try another frontal assault like we did with Ra's, are we? For all we know, he and Kobra could be in contact." 

The millionaire turned his head towards the supermodel superheroine. "They're not exactly friends. Kobra once usurped the Lazarus Pit for a short time. Ra's Al Ghul doesn't forget such things, despite the even-tempered front he showed you. But, yes, it's possible they do communicate through backchannels, although not proven. And no, we're not going to go charging in again like Marines taking a hill. But this time..." Bruce emphasized the point with a pause. "This time, I want to take him down. Whether he was involved in the attempted hit on Selina, or not. He did kill another good man, as I watched...his brother, Jason Burr. I don't forget such things, either." 

Element Girl shifted on the couch, crossing her legs. Despite her power, and despite her trust of Batman, there was always something in his demeanor that scared her. With the others, she thought they felt more respect than fear...but Rex had confessed that, in dealing with the Batman, there was always an element of low-level nervousness. 

That didn't keep them from liking him. But it did make him hard to live with, sometimes. 

Geo-Force said, "Then, I take it that we will go in civilian guise? And where, friend Bruce, are we headed tomorrow?" 

"We'll be in disguise, all right," answered Wayne. "As for our destination: we're going to try India first. That's where the Cobra Cult was originally based, and Wonder Woman had an encounter with him there. I don't have to tell you how dangerous the man can be. But I will tell you this: if our outfit performs as well as we did against Ra's Al Ghul, then I'm putting my money on the Outsiders in this fight. Agreed?" 

Metamorpho, Element Girl, Geo-Force, Katana, Halo, and Looker all gave their individual confirmations. Rex Mason smiled, slightly. The best part about being an Outsider was that, as a unit, it was even tighter than the Justice League. 

Katana spoke up. "What has Firestorm discovered about the source of the dart that struck Selina?" 

Bruce said, "Practically nothing. It appears to have been sent by a mechanical device, as we've determined from riflings on the sides of the dart. But neither he, Green Lantern, nor Superman have been able to find out much more. Which would be in keeping with the efficiency of Kobra...or Ra's Al Ghul." 

He stood up. "That's it for right now. Be prepared to leave around 0600 tomorrow morning. We'll be up against one of our toughest enemies. But don't forget...he's going to be up against his toughest ones, too." Alfred held out Bruce's coat, which he put on while talking. "Right now, I'm going to consult with Commissioner Gordon, then pay a visit to Lucius at the Wayne Building. I'll see you in the morning." 

"'Ta, Bruce," said Looker. "Even though I'll probably look like an absolute hag in the morning." 

"Oh, you will not," said Halo. "Even if you don't wear that silly blue makeup on your eyes." 

"Silly?" Looker gave Halo a piercing gaze. 

Leaving the crew to their post-briefing shenanigans, Bruce Wayne exited the room. 

-B- 

James Gordon and Barbara sat behind a wall of bulletproof glass and metal, looking at the man in the straitjacket seated before them, and wondered if even that barrier would be enough to withstand Killer Croc if he wasn't sedated. 

The man had to be a mutant of sorts. His strength was far greater than normal, and his skin, thick and mottled like a crocodile's, had given him his name. He was an outcast from humanity because of it. That was what had led him to his profession as a hitman for hire, and then as a crime boss so feared that even the Joker had been loath to cross swords with him. 

In one of his sprees, he had been responsible for the deaths of young Jason Todd's parents, circus performers. Gordon had flashed back to the killings of Dick Grayson's parents, also circus people, which had happened years before in Newtown, not far from Gotham. Both boys had been adopted by Bruce Wayne, and both seemed to be parented well by him. Now young Jason might have a mother, too, if she survived the attempt on her life. 

Gordon was damned well determined to learn what the inmates of Arkham knew about the event. 

"Croc," said Gordon. "Can you hear me?" 

The eerie man in the reptilian skin and the gray asylum uniform looked up at him from his seat. "Sure," said Croc, slurring it a bit. "Sure, I can hear ya." 

The commissioner glanced at his daughter, seated beside him. Barbara was alert, but not fearful. He was proud of her moxie, but a little fear of this freak before them might well be in order. Croc hadn't racked up as many murders as the Joker, but only because he hadn't had time to. Yet. 

"A woman named Selina Kyle was the victim of a murder attempt a few days ago," said Gordon. "You've met her. She was the Cat--" 

"The Catwoman," said Croc. "Yeah, I know her." 

Barbara broke in. "Do you know anything about the hit attempt? Or do you have any ideas about who could be behind it? Cooperating with the police on this would be the first good mark on your record." 

"Barbara, please," said Gordon. He hated it when people stole his lines. 

"Oh, I dunno who was behind it," said Croc, amiably. "But I do know who could have done it. All hypothetical, y'understand." 

Gordon found himself hesitant to ask the question. But he plowed ahead. "All right, Croc. Who?" 

At that, Croc stood up, pushing back his chair. The two armed guards behind him started forward. 

They were a little too late. 

Croc ripped his arms out of the straitjacket, tearing the reinforced fabric asunder like wet paper. His freed hands whipped out, grabbed the two burly guards, and cracked their heads together in a guaranteed skull-fracture impact. They fell unconscious. He had their guns in the next instant. 

Gordon and his daughter fell to the floor, instincively. He dragged the police special out of his shoulder holster as he heard the bulletproof glass shatter beneath the impact of a large, heavy object: Croc's body. 

There were two guards on the other side of the glass, behind Gordon and Barbara. They shot at Croc, but he shot better. He dropped them both. 

Croc grabbed the redheaded woman and held her between himself and Gordon, as a shield, his arm levering her head back painfully. She elbowed him in the gut, but only collected a bruise for her trouble. 

"It coulda been me," Croc said. 

He aimed his gun at James Gordon. 

To be continued...   



	5. Chapter 5

bato5a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 5 

by DarkMark 

There was a gathering of heroes in a satellite. Most were familiar visitors there. Some were less so. 

The Justice League of America contemplated the metallic device Firestorm had recovered from a tree a mile away from Wayne Manor. Much of its mechanism had fused, due to an acid capsule's breaking when it had fulfilled its only function. 

"So this thing was able to transmit pictures of Bruce and Selina leaving the mansion, and the firing mechanism was mobile enough to target her," said Nightwing, pointing with his thumb to the lump of metal in the middle of the meeting table. "With this kind of thing, who's safe from assassination anymore?" 

Nobody at the table had a good answer for him. Starfire, sitting beside him, squeezed his hand. 

"No one seems to have witnessed who did the job," said Superman. "It wasn't hard to track, however. The owner of the property on which the tree with the device was located has been missing for a week. Since shortly before the wedding, to be exact. I doubt that we'll find him alive." 

"I doubt that we'll find him, period," put in Green Arrow. "So you and Hawk and the Lantern still can't find out who manufactured the thing?" 

Hawkman turned his great plastic hawk's mask towards the archer. When they first met, the sight of the big winged hawk's head on the Thanagarian's face unnerved him. Now, it just irritated him. "The Absorbascon can theoretically gather all information on Earth, Ollie. But it will always be limited by my ability to interpret it. I'm sorry. I haven't learned anything." 

Black Canary, sitting beside the Arrow, touched his thigh. "We need to go down there and see Selina," she said. "All of us worked together on that industrial case awhile back. I really got to like her." 

"First time you met, she conned you into helping a gang of lady thieves on a heist," said Green Arrow. 

"First times don't count," said Dinah. "Once we wrap up the thing we're working on, we're going to see her." 

"I'll tell her you asked about her," said Nightwing, a tad wearily. He had been up too many hours as it was. Trying to sandwich his honeymoon between his efforts to learn who was behind the attempted murder of the Catwoman was tough. He knew Kory was feeling the strain, as well. But he couldn't bow out on this kind of a case. Even if he'd just gotten married. 

He also didn't want Bruce to learn about his involvement. 

Ralph Dibny stopped his nose from twitching. Everyone, including him, knew it was a mystery. "I've checked in with Bruce on a daily basis," said the Elongated Man. "He's said, in effect, we're to leave this one to him and his group. That means our involvement, such as it is, has to be covert." 

"Which won't be easy, given Bruce's powers of observation," said Green Lantern. "But we've all got our own lives to attend to these days. More so now than ever, I guess. So. Everyone in favor of continuance as is?" 

The others in the meeting room nodded, or spoke their assent. 

"Unanimous," said Hal Jordan. "Robin--sorry, Nightwing--I hope I'm correct in assuming that we can count on the Titans' aid, if need be." 

"You know it," said Nightwing. "I just wish Bruce wasn't playing this so close to the chest. It'd be so much easier to lend a hand." 

"That's why he's not playing it that way," said Superman. "We both know that, Dick." 

"The Corps members with me can be called up as well," said the Lantern. "Batman has aided them on a couple of occasions, and the Guardians more than that. Kilowog, Ch'p, Salaak, Kat, and John have indicated their assent. We're going to find out who attacked Selina Kyle, ladies and gents, even though I have a feeling Batman will find out first. Any further business?" 

Silence. 

"Then meeting is dismissed," Green Lantern declared. "Wonder Woman will chair the next one. Oh, and Firestorm?" 

The subdued young hero with the firetopped head looked at GL with blank eyes. 

"Good job," said Hal Jordan. 

"Thanks, Hal," said Firestorm. "A lot." 

"I've got a wedding coming up at the end of the week," said Green Lantern. "Let's try and get this thing cracked before then." 

-B- 

Barbara Gordon threw herself against Croc's gunarm as much as she could and jostled it a bit. He had a steady enough hand not to squeeze the trigger accidentally. The powerful man with the reptile's skin tightened his hold on her, and Barbara found it difficult to breathe. She tried kicking back at his crotch with her thigh, but it didn't seem to do any good. 

She was Batgirl, and she wasn't able to stop this maniac from holding a gun on her father. 

Commissioner Gordon had drawn his gun, but both he and Croc knew that he wouldn't fire with Barbara in the way. "Drop it," said Croc. 

"You first," said Jim Gordon, tersely. His arm did not waver. 

Croc scowled for a second. "All right," he said. "Let's see how long it takes you to drop it if I point the gun here." With that, he shoved the muzzle of the gun against Barbara's head. 

The commissioner faltered. He had no guarantee Croc wouldn't ventilate both himself and his daughter if he lay down his weapon. But it was a certainty that Croc would kill Barbara if he didn't. He had seen the man's handiwork too often to doubt his capabilities. 

He could retain his gun, try and bluff Croc, tell him killing Barbara would only get him a bullet in the brain. It would, too. 

But the alternatives were these: Croc would not honor his bargain, and would kill Gordon and Barbara; Gordon would hang fast, and Barbara would get killed; Gordon might bluff Croc into putting down his gun, which was not bloody likely; Gordon would lay down his weapon, and, even though he was sure to die, Barbara might be freed. Or at least kept alive as a hostage. 

"You can't get out of here alive, even with her as a shield," warned Gordon. 

Croc clicked the hammer back. 

Barbara wished that she was within reach of her purse and the many crime-fighting gimmicks within. The tear-gas bombs might cause him to pull the trigger anyway. But at least there would be a slight chance of her escaping. But that didn't do any good, as he had pulled her away from the seat beside which her purse lay. 

Gordon began to stoop, holding his gun. "Don't do it, Dad," warned Barbara. She tried to step on Croc's instep as hard as she could, but it got her a strangling pressure from his forearm. 

The commissioner lay his piece flat on the floor and stood up. Undoubtedly they were on monitors right now. But the situation was too precarious for the director to send in more guards. He stood up, smoothed his jacket, and stuck his hands in his pockets. He tried to give Barbara a reassuring look, then gazed defiantly into Croc's eyes. 

The ex-gang boss smiled a horrible, toothy grin. Barbara Gordon clutched at his forearm, without much effect. The crook's stolen gun did not waver from Jim Gordon's direction. 

That is, until the batarang with the rope on it wound itself around Croc's arm and a terrific yank on the end of the line yanked the arm and gun hand upward. A shot went off into the ceiling and came up through an inmate's floor, chipping a bit of bark off the Floronic Man. 

Croc turned his head, instantaneously, and almost got a chance to see beyond the five knuckles of brass that smashed into his face at warp speed. 

Barbara Gordon cried out the name of the blue, black, and grey-clad man who was pounding his fist with a speed that would have shamed Muhammad Ali into the jaw, eyes, cheeks, nose, and throat of Killer Croc. The villain tried to say, "Batman," but got only as far as "Bat" or "Ba" three times, and gave it up. He let go of Barbara and tried to bring his other hand up. 

The redhead snarled and stuck her thumb in his eye. Croc howled. She hauled off and planted her high heel in his crotch. He howled more. 

Batman took the opportunity she gave him to quickly tie the loose end of the Batarang rope to a section of wire frame that still remained undamaged, on the desk that had separated Croc from the Gordons. Then he waded in with both hands freed, and was not smiling a bit as he did it. 

Barbara went to her father's side. This time, Batman scared the hell out of even her. 

Croc's free arm did him little good after the Dark Knight's armored knuckles slammed into a nerve cluster there. He might have tried to kick or butt, but Batman just wasn't interested in giving him the opportunity. The Masked Manhunter's fists lashed out, twin piledrivers sheathed in metal, pounding and pounding and pounding. In the face, the ribcage, the stomach, the throat. Blow after blow after blow crunched into the villain's craggy body, and the Batman wasn't hanging back a bit. 

Commissioner Gordon forced himself to speak up. "Stop it, Batman. You'll kill him." 

"I know what I'm doing," said Batman, calmly, and knocked Croc's head to the side. 

The reptilian mobster was sagging. He tried to pretend that his hurt was even more incapacitating, to sucker Batman, but a double-blow crashed into his solar plexus and he didn't have to fake it. 

Somewhere, a thousand miles away, his hand held a gun, uselessly. He couldn't think of anything to do with it. 

Croc was tough, and Batman knew that. His mutant-shelled flesh could take more punishment than a normal human by far, so Batman had dealt out much more punishment than a normal human could take. With another foe, he wouldn't have thought about donning the brass knucks. 

Croc's misfortune was that he could take it. Batman was making sure that he did. 

The hero avoided a kick to his own genital region and smashed a knee into Croc's already-hurting crotch. Croc's head jerked up, and a small cry escaped him. He didn't even have energy enough left to scream. 

Batman held Croc's face in one hand, and waited till the bad man's eyes focussed reasonably well on him. 

"If you ever try to hurt Jim Gordon or his daughter again, this won't stop until you're dead," he said. "Understood?" 

Croc's head rolled. 

"Understood?" 

Resignedly, Croc nodded. 

"Good," said Batman. He turned away, walked two steps away. 

Then he whipped around and smashed another blow to Croc's jaw. The badman went unconscious, his body dangling limply by his roped arm. 

Batman looked at him for another few seconds, then turned again, pulling his reddened brass knucks off of his gloves. 

"That way, he remembers the clincher," he explained to the Gordons. He untied the batarang rope, lowered Croc's arm enough to take the gun away, and handed it, barrel first, to the commissioner. Jim Gordon took it by the nose and dropped it in his coat pocket. 

"I might have guessed you'd turn up in the nick," said Gordon, a trifle too nonchalantly. "But where my daughter is concerned, I wish you'd show up a nick faster." 

"That's all right, Dad," said Barbara, stepping closer to him. "You know we're both--very grateful--to the Batman for saving our lives. Again." 

The masked man regarded them both. He and Jim both knew that Barbara was secretly Batgirl, and Barbara knew that Batman was Bruce Wayne, though his identity was still a secret to Commissioner Gordon. He also knew that Barbara was secretly ashamed that she had not been of more use in fighting Croc before his arrival. But, since they were probably being monitored, she couldn't admit to that. 

Just as he couldn't admit that he had come to Arkham Asylum as Bruce Wayne, hoping to talk to the commissioner and establish his presence there in his civilian identity, thus throwing suspicion off his "abscence" from the Gotham scene. 

"You did a good enough job yourself, Miss Gordon," replied Batman. "Few women would have dared attack someone as deadly as Croc. Tonight, he won't be recovering from just the hits I gave him." 

She looked at the fallen man balefully, as the door flew open and an ad hoc SWAT team of armed guards poured through. 

"If I had my way," she said, "he wouldn't be recovering at all." 

-B- 

Upstairs in the Wayne Mansion, the female Outsiders were engaged in what was probably the team's first slumber party. On the morrow, they'd be off to India to track down Kobra. But tonight, Looker, Element Girl, Halo, and Katana noshed on pizza, abused the stereo Bruce had lent them, and sat around in their pajamas. 

"If I have to listen to Bette Midler again I will positively ralph," swore Looker. "Can't you dig up some old Rolling Stones or something?" 

Katana, in her red p.j.'s, looked at her teammate stoically. "The albums we are listening to are Mistress Selina's. Master Dick took his record collection to Titans' Tower when he moved out. Our leader's tastes run more to classical, progressive jazz, and show tunes. If it please you, I could ask him for permission to--" 

"It would not please me, Tatsu," Looker sighed. "I'll put up with Catty's stuff, but I don't want to hear 'You Got To Have Friends' again in this life." 

Halo scrunched over in her blue nightie and rested her head on her fists and her elbows on her knees. "You're not nervous, are you, Lia? I mean, it is Mister Snake-In-the-Face we're going after tomorrow. But we're going as a whole unit and, I mean, we've fought him before." 

"I haven't," pointed out Element Girl, and finished off a slice of pepperoni. 

"Well, most of us, anyway," amended Gabby Doe. "And this is just such a nice way to spend the night before a battle, like, having a party with your best friends and all. It's positively ginchy, y'know?" 

Looker choked back laughter. Then she went ahead and let it out, careful not to drop her pizza slice on the scandalous nightdress she was wearing. "Oh, gawd, Gabby, I love you. Don't ever get yourself killed. You're the only one who can make me laugh the night before I'm scheduled to pull off a suicide mission. Really." 

Tatsu was not pleased. "You should not mock our young one's naivete. You well know the cause of it, Lia. Should I treat our new recruit, Urania, to a demonstration of the martial arts using you as my practice dummy?" 

"Now, wait a minute," said Looker. 

"No, Tat," said Gabby, laying a hand on the Japanese woman's forearm. "Gosh, I know that what I say doesn't always come out the way I want it to, and I know you think I act like a little kid. But if Lia feels like laughing at me, she can laugh. After all, we're friends, aren't we, Lia? And friends are entitled to laugh at each other. Aren't they?" 

Lia's smile wasn't model-perfect. It was natural and unforced. "Of course we are, honeybunch. Come over here and let Mama give you a big Lookerhug." Obediently, Gabby did so, and was embraced. "One of the best things about this team is not being the only woman in it," Looker declared. She nodded towards Urania. "And we're getting more all the time." 

If Element Girl could have blushed through her calcium-colored face, she would have done so. "Um. Thanks, Lia. A lot. God, I thought I'd never get past that agoraphobia. I thought I'd never see another human face, except on the TV screen. Then Rex dragged me out of that stuffy old apartment, and here I am. I haven't known you girls for a month, and I already feel like I've known you for ten years." 

Tatsu favored Urania with a slight smile. "In our line of work, Urania, bonding is done quickly and thoroughly. It is not unlike being part of a military unit." 

"Not unlike it at all," affirmed Looker. 

"Well, I don't know anything about the military except what I saw on M*A*S*H and Private Benjamin," said Halo. "But this does remind me of the scene where Private Benjamin and all the other girls are sitting out in the open, talking about the first time they--well, you know. And I thought that was so cool. Didn't you?" 

"Yes, Gabby, it was definitely cool," Lia said. 

Rainie Blackwell shifted on her differently-colored legs. "Y'know, Rex has told me that one of the things heroes do when they get together is trade origin stories. Why do you think they do that? Just to get to know each other better?" 

"It is a way of bonding, yes," said Katana. "The passage from normal man to masked vigilante is usually a dramatic one, and super-heroes are as curious about each other as the common man is of them all. We tell each other how we came to don costumes and risk our lives this way. Then we learn if we wish to be friends with each other or not." 

Element Girl swilled some Seven-Up, then said, "I know that I'm glad to be friends with all of you. But Rex hasn't told me all about you yet, how you came to be heroines--um, what a dumb term. Would it be okay if we traded origins? I mean, if you don't have anything else you want to do right now. I'm up for it, or a game of gin, in case we can scare up a deck." 

"Gin?" Halo looked at her. "You play cards, Rainie?" 

"I'm better at poker," confided the green-haired woman. 

"Origin stories are fine by me," said Looker. "Who goes first?" 

Rainie raised her hand. "I started this, so I'll be first. You all know about Rex's origin, right? How he got trapped in that Egyptian pyramid, and got turned into Metamorpho by that radiant meteor?" 

"Certainly," said Tatsu. "We even went back with him to ancient Egypt, and learned more about how he gained his elemental powers from their very source." 

"Well, I got 'em from the same source," confirmed Rainie. "I used to work for the Company, you know. Rex's origin wasn't a big secret, and Uncle Sam wanted to see if a CIA agent could gain the same powers. They tried three people before me, and--well, the results weren't so pretty. Turns out it takes a specific body type and physiology to gain the metapowers. So they ran a lot of us through the mill and found out I was the closest to him, even though I was a woman. They offered me the chance and I went with it. 

"I got into that old pyramid, found myself in that mechanized passageway, and got taken straight to the same meteor by it. I mean to tell you, it was unnerving. I've been on enough missions not to freak when I'm in danger, but...up until then, it was theoretical. When I was staring straight at that thing not five feet away from me, I knew--I knew--that I was going to be changed, and that I'd never really be Rainie Blackwell anymore. Mentally I would, but physically, I'd be this...a four-toned freak-out who could alter her body into the pure state of any element found in it, and change myself into all sorts of shapes, like Plastic Man. 

"But it was too late to back out. I'd been a good soldier too long. Back then, if the Company told you--told me--to do something, I did it. Period. So I stared right at that thing, and it got hot as hell, and I just about tore my clothes off. Then I passed out. 

"When I came to again, the stone slab I was sitting on had taken me back to where I'd first fallen on it. There was an ancient mirror of polished metal nearby. I found out it was the same one Rex had first seen himself in as Metamorpho, months before. I saw just about the same thing. I'd become an Element Girl. 

"You wouldn't know this unless you'd seen a picture of me, but I used to have auburn hair. It was really great-looking, if you'll excuse me for saying that. And that...it wasn't auburn anymore. It was green. Green as grass, green as chlorophyll, green as mint mouthwash...I just...that was the biggest shock to me. Not that I was five separate colors, but that my hair was green. 

"I wanted to cry, to throw up, to scream, to do a lot of things in that line. But I didn't. I just swallowed, and wondered how I was going to get out of there. There was a ladder where I'd climbed down into the pyramid. I..." She swallowed. 

"It's okay, Rainie," said Halo, and hugged her. 

"That's all right, Halo," Element Girl responded. "I have really, really heavy memories of this stuff. But I've dealt with it. So...I'll finish up. Where was I? Oh, yeah. The ladder. I looked up it, and I was about to grab a rung. 

"Then I thought, 'How do I know I've got the powers? How will I know unless I try them?' And I wondered how Metamorpho did it. If he just thought about it, or willed it, or if he said a magic word or something. 

"So I drew my hand back and I just thought real hard about changing into a gas...into helium, because it was lighter than air and it'd float up the passageway to the outside. I just thought about changing myself. For a second or two, I was sure nothing had happened. Then I opened my eyes and saw that I was going upward. 

"Don't ask me how I can see or hear when I'm in another state. Rex just calls it 'perception', but it works. I was scared as hell. I was really in an unsolid state. You don't think about your body being a solid, having weight and substance, unless you have an experience like I did...I had no sense of touch. I couldn't even see myself...I was just a gas, going up a tunnel. 

"So the first thing I thought of was turning back into myself again. I mean, I wanted to be Rainie Blackwell again, but if I had to be this Metamorpho-woman, I'd settle for it, as long as I was solid. When I did that, I solidified again. I could feel my body contracting back to its normal shape. But the bit was, I was falling down the passage! So I grabbed hold of the ladder rungs and held on. I banged against the ladder and the interior wall of the passage, and it didn't even hurt that much. That was how I knew things were going to be different, even in that stage. Because as Rainie Blackwell, I knew I would have gotten my arms dislocated from that, and it would have hurt like hell when I banged the ladder. But it didn't. 

"I just hung there, grabbing the ladder with my arms and legs, until one of the guys above yelled down and asked me if I was all right. I told him, 'Yeah, I'm all right.' Then I climbed back up the thing, and they saw me, both of the guys who were on the mission with me, when I came close enough to them. One of them went, 'My God.' The other one didn't say anything. But I could tell from the looks they gave me that I was going to be seen as a freak. 

"And I used to be beautiful." Element Girl closed her eyes. "That was why the government recruited me, to seduce enemy agents. I used to be a beautiful girl." 

Looker bit her lip and said nothing. 

"Rainie, you're still beautiful," said Halo. "Don't you see? It's your inside I look at, and that's bound to be more beautiful than you ever were as a spy girl. Honest." 

"Thank you, honey," said Rainie, pecking Halo on the cheek. "That does mean a lot to me, and I'm being honest, too. But let me finish the story. 

"Part of the bit was that I had kind of a crush on Metamorpho. Don't ask me why, but he had an interesting background...tough guy, race-car driver, soldier of fortune for Simon Stagg, one of the world's richest men, and now a super-hero. Y'know who he said his biggest rival was on the race track, when he was starting out?" 

"Who?" asked Katana. 

"Cliff Steele. The guy who became Robotman." 

"Yeah, the Doom Patroller," said Looker. "We met him in the Monitor's satellite. Heck, we met everyone in the Monitor's satellite." 

"Well, to make the proverbial long story short, I got a lot of counseling from a Company shrink, learned how to use my powers, and then was assigned to recruit Metamorpho for a job and team up with him against this super-villain named Stingaree. He was shocked as hell when he saw me, but I convinced him I was a good girl and he agreed. And during the mission, Stingaree nailed me with that chemical stinger of his. It felt like the mother of all bee stings, and I passed straight out. It was loaded with elemental poisons. Simon Stagg had to bring me out of a coma, and it took months. When I came around, I started being more or less a partner to Rex. I also got into a bit of a rivalry with ol' Sapphire, who was Rex's girlfriend at the time. And that was a lot of fun." Rainie grinned with mirthful female malice, and the others were glad to see it. 

"Anyway, there was one last big case Rex and I finished up, and we cleared him of a murder charge when we did it. Then Staggsy made him a big offer. He told Rex he had a process that just might transform him into a human again, but it'd take a long time, years, in a bunch of glop that'd put him in suspended animation. I asked if I could undergo the treatment too. But Staggsy flat out refused me, and I could guess why: Sapphire wanted me to stay an Element Girl. If Rex became human, she'd have him all to herself. 

"So Rex went into the glop, and I went and did some things for the Company. But they gave me early retirement thanks to my mental state, which wasn't too great at the time...I was a lonely, depressed freakess...and I tried some of that crime-fighting stuff, but didn't get much of anywhere with it. I had enough money...my folks left me a good inheritance, and I got paid well enough by Uncle Sam. 

"That's when I started holing up in my room. I had a plastic mask that looked like my real face, and I could go out in public when I wanted to. But I stopped wanting to, so much. 

"At first I wasn't totally a recluse. I'd go out and watch movies, have dinner out, alone, and that sort of thing. But I was afraid, the more I went out. I was so afraid something would happen, that my mask would slip, or somebody would find out some other way that I was, was a..." 

Katana went to Rainie, and Looker was astounded at the uncharacteristic display of affection from the Japanese woman. "Rainie, you are not a freak. You never were. You are a heroine, and you are our friend. The only regret I have about you is that we did not know you sooner, that we might have ended your loneliness all the earlier." 

Rainie was sobbing. "I don't know, how many years, I spent like that. Even when Rex went, back in action, I just...I just didn't know how to meet people anymore." 

"Didn't he, uh, call?" asked Halo, who was beginning to have doubts about her longtime teammate. 

"Oh, yeah, yeah, he did," said Rainie. "And I'd always be, so chipper when he did. He wanted to, come over, but I didn't let him. Finally he just, stopped calling. I thought about, about suicide, but I didn't know how. I was just...I was going to be alone, for as long as a, metamorph, could live. 

"Then a few weeks ago, you know what happened. He turned himself into, into a liquid, and flowed right through my door lock. He saw me there, with all the dishes stacked up and unwashed, and all the mess I was in, and he said, he said, 'Blue blazes, Rainie, what have you done to yourself?' He was just staring at me. But he was staring like he wanted to help, wanted to be my friend. 

"I tried to run away, transmuted into a gas, but he did the same thing and followed me. We flowed to the roof, and we actually had a fight. I changed into different elements, trying to get him to go away. But he kept countering me, and he wouldn't stop. So after awhile, I found myself back in my normal form again, and I was crying...just like now...and he was holding me and just being there for me, you know. 

"I tried to get him to leave me alone, but he wouldn't. He said he was damned well going to bring me back to humanity, and he wasn't going to leave me alone till I did. I knew he was married, saw the news reports on TV, so I knew I didn't have a chance with him there. But he was still a friend. And I didn't know how much...how much I needed a friend." 

Looker nodded. "You won't believe this, but I--know just how you feel." 

"Thanks, Lia." Rainie sniffed, trying to bring her emotions back under control. "He brought me to the Stagg mansion, and they were all so nice to me there, even Sapphire. She looked kinda guilty, but I told her not to be, it wasn't her fault. Even that old lunkhead caveguy, Java, tried to be nice to me. Then Rex took me out on the town, to some public places, and he insisted I go with him as Element Girl. It was crazy! The paper in Haneyville plastered a pic of us on their front page, and I never knew people even remembered me until I started getting letters from them at Stagg's place. I guess...I guess none of us is really forgotten. 

"Then he brought me to Bruce Wayne's mansion, because he said the Outsiders used it for an h.q. sometimes. He had me wait in the guest room, and I got to talk to Alfred and Selina for the first time. You know she'd already moved in. I was shy as hell at first, but they kept making me feel at home until I started talking to them and just couldn't hardly stop. It was like the dike had finally burst. 

"Anyway, Rex came back in and said, 'Come on, Urania. There's somebody I want you to meet. He led me down the hallway to a room that was kind of dark. He made me go inside myself, without him. I was kind of nervous, but I heard a voice inside, saying, 'Hello, Urania. Don't be afraid, just come on in.' You know whose voice it was. So did I, after I went in and the door closed and the lights came up. Batman. 

"I was even more nerved at first, but he just kept talking to me until I started talking, just like Selina and Alfred did. Turned out he wasn't like his publicity at all, that he was a really nice guy, when you're on his side. He finally said to me, 'Metamorpho wants to sponsor you for membership in the Outsiders. If you're willing, I'd like to give you the chance.' And you know the rest." 

Halo nodded, soberly. "I remember when he introduced you to us. Gosh, you seemed so shy. I didn't even know what you'd been going through." 

Rainie nodded, then moistened her lips. "It was just what I put myself through. I can see that now, that I was making myself a freak in my own mind a lot more than people made me in theirs. I thought that I'd turn them off, but...my gawd, you wouldn't believe some of the offers of marriage I've gotten in the mail! And a lot of it isn't even for marriage!" 

"Oh, I'd believe it!" said Looker, and cracked up. "You should see the mail my manager wouldn't let me see!" 

Katana said, "You are stronger than you know, Rainie. A weaker woman might have gone insane from the transformation you underwent. Or from the isolation you imposed upon yourself. But you did not. You are anything but a freak. You are a strong woman, and a good woman. And you are our friend...and my friend." 

Element Girl elongated her arms and crushed all three women to her in a powerful hug. 

The other three decided, without saying it, to save their origin stories for a later time. 

-B- 

In another place, a man was being suspended by his wrists over seething liquid. 

There were sixteen other men in the chamber, one of whom sat on a portable throne. All of them were masked and costumed. There were also two women, neither of whom was masked or costumed. One of them only wore a scanty bikini, and lounged by the throne of her lord. 

At any other place and time, the bound man's attention might have been distracted by the two ladies. But this was hardly the occasion for such thoughts. 

The man tried to keep himself above the acidic waters by flipping his legs above his head and catching the edge of the lowering mechanism with them. It worked, but only for a few more seconds. 

The hanging edge of his white trenchcoat dipped into the liquid. 

"Kobra," said the man, very coldly, "you are a lousy, motherloving son of a b--" 

That was all he had time to get out before the liquids stolen from the Lazarus Pit covered him. 

Kobra looked impassively at the waters of transformation, into which his guest was now fully emerged. He said nothing for the full eight minutes the trenchcoated man spent in them. 

Finally, the mechanism began to rise again, hydraulically. The captive's hands were seen first, clenching and unclenching in fury. The rest of his body emerged, and his eyes were vacant, fierce, and terrible. He hung above the Pit, thrashing not in pain, but in rage. 

Kobra did not say anything, and his soldiers were too afraid to. The unclad woman looked upon the thrashing man with a hint of sadistic arousal. The other woman looked on, trying to mask her numbed horror. 

Eventually, the rage passed, and the man hung from the wrist-holders, breathing a bit heavily. He looked upon Kobra and his men without anger. 

The master of the horde made a motion with his finger. A cult member at the controls of the lowering device had its holding arm swing the captive onto the lip of the second Lazarus Pit, setting his feet on the solid marble, and then releasing his wrists. The man's arms came down, and he brushed his soggy clothing, then rotated his arms to get the kinks out of his shoulders. 

"Tell me your name," said Kobra. 

The man looked at Kobra, then fumbled in his coat pocket for smokes. But the cigarettes were chemical-sodden and unsmokable. So he stuck his hands in his pockets and faced his host. 

"King Faraday," he said. 

Kobra gave the slightest of nods. "What is it that you do?" 

"Spy. American counter-intelligence. Done that for a long time." 

"You do know the Batman?" 

Faraday laughed. "Hell, yes. Worked with him a couple of times. Including that big one with Ra's Al Ghul. Glad he was around then, or I'd be a mine slave now. Or dead." 

Kobra leaned forward a bit. "I wish you to help me kill him." 

The spy looked at Kobra curiously for a moment, and ran a hand through his still-damp hair. 

Then he shrugged. "Sure. Tell me when and how you want to do it." 

To be continued...   



	6. Chapter 6

bato6a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons   
  
Part 6 

by DarkMark 

"Honestly," said Selina Kyle. "If you all keep acting like you're at a wake, I'm going to make you play tag with Hecate. I appreciate it, but you make me feel like I'm the Elephant Man holding court." 

"Elephant Man?" asked Jason Todd. "What powers does he have?" 

Alfred, Dick Grayson the Elder and Selina started laughing, and even Helena Wayne had to hide a smile, so Jason knew he'd said something dorky. He tried to scrunch down into his sweatshirt, but Selina had him come over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the top of his head. "Don't you worry about that, Jase," she said. "Once Aunt Selina gets out of bed, you're going to teach me how to be a momma. I think we're both gonna enjoy it." 

"I hope so," said Jason. "I haven't had a mama in awhile. Uh, excuse me if I said something dumb again." 

Dick, the old Robin from Earth-Two, got up from his seat and went to Jason's side, as did Helena. "You haven't said anything dumb, Jason," said Dick. "You're a lucky kid. A lot luckier than I was. My Batman didn't get married until I was already off at college. Our Selina never had a chance to be my mother. It was just us guys, me, Bruce, and Alfred...that is, our Alfred...for all those years I stayed with Bruce." 

"How long did you stay with Bruce, Dick?" asked Selina, curious. 

"Till '55," said the old Boy Wonder, his hand on Jason's shoulder. "I'd graduated from high school in '49, but I didn't want to go to college just then. So Bruce let me help run his businesses, and we still did the Batman and Robin thing at night. But..um, truth to tell...I was getting a little old for those short pants." 

Helena cracked up and leaned against him. "Oh, gawd, Dick, I'm sorry. I shouldn't, but I can't help it. I mean, thinking of you being 25 years old and going out bare-legged." She kept on laughing, and Jason started to giggle. 

"Oh, yeah?" said Dick. "You don't seem to have a problem showing off your legs in that Huntress costume!" 

"That's different," she said, in mock dignity. "Girls have a right to show off their legs, if they want to. Nobody's complained so far, not even the crooks." 

"That's base sexism! Guys should have a right to bare legs, as they have the right to bear arms. If it isn't in the Constitution, it should be." 

Selina said, "Do I see a pose-down coming? Bring it on! It'll help my recovery." 

Alfred murmured, "Or, Mistress Selina, it might retard it somewhat. Especially if you insisted on seeing mine." 

Jason was turning red from holding it in. Selina reached out a manicured forefinger and poked him in the ribs. He sprawled on the floor of the Batcave, holding his sides and laughing as hard as he could. 

The old butler smiled. "It's good to hear that kind of thing down here again. Sometimes we go for days without hearing the sound of laughter. I almost want to tape-record it when it happens, so that I won't forget what it sounds like." 

"Oh man, no more, no more," gasped Jason. "I can't take it. Please." He wiped his eyes and sat up. "Oh, cripes. It's gonna be fun having you around, Aunt Selina. Even on school nights. Maybe." 

Selina said, "It'll be less fun if you don't keep your grades up. I know how to use a cat-o'-nine-tails." 

Helena snorted laughter. God help her, it was good to see someone this much like her mother again. Even if she was ailing and abed, she had a Selina Wayne in her life once more. It was almost enough to make her consider changing Earths. 

But she had a job back home, and so did Dick. They'd both had to go back to their Earth for a day, take care of business, and then hop the Justice Society Transporter Cube back here to check on the bedridden Catwoman. They'd have to beam up to the JLA's satellite early tomorrow morning, teleport back to Earth-Two, warp down to their Gotham, and get back to work again. Neither one of them could keep commuting that way for very long. It made them feel too weird inside. 

And their jobs, as lawyer and diplomat respectively, weren't usually things they could just leave at the office. 

"So, uncle Dick, how old were you when you got out of the shorts?" asked Jason, who was more or less in control again. 

Dick put a foot on his chair. "I tapered off when I finally went to Gotham U. It was enough of a job to keep up my studies. I got my b.a. in Business Admin, but I wanted to do more than that. So I studied law, got my liscence, but I never practiced. Got married, got divorced in three years, no children. 

"Around that time, Jack Kennedy got elected, and I went to work as a local campaign manager. Bruce was as Republican as hell, just like your Bruce, but he didn't say anything about it. I made a friend there who got me into the striped-pants business. Found out I liked travelling, representing Uncle Sam and all that. Bruce was still Batmanning it, and I would've liked to, sometimes, but...well, that costume. Plus the fact that I was out of town as often as not. You know. 

"So." Dick sat in the chair again, remembering the mid-Sixties and all the Apocalypse that seemed ready to erupt in the nation. "One night he was out of town and I wasn't. I was listening to the radio and they said that the Joker had gotten loose for about the 477th time. Green Lantern was still in town--I mean Alan Scott, not your Lantern--but he never much messed with our villains, and we didn't mess with his much. Not unless we asked each other to. I figured I had to do something about it. But I wasn't going to do it in that little-pants costume that didn't even fit me much anymore. 

"I took the car down to the mansion, met Alfred, and told him what I wanted to do. So we went down to the 'Cave and got one of Batman's spare uniforms and made some alterations on it. Put a yellow cape on it, changed the chest symbol, made an eyemask, did some other stuff, and made it fit me. No short pants this time. I guess I looked more like Batman than Robin, but that was all right. I went out in our reserve Batmobile, tracked down old Chalkface, and nailed him. The newsies got some pictures of me standing with him on the courthouse steps, like I was some old time sheriff with a desperado or something. That was how the world, our world, learned that Robin hadn't gone away. 

"Bruce saw the picture, too. When he came back, he said, 'You've done good for yourself, Dick.' That meant a lot, coming from him. He asked me if I wanted to be the new Batman when he retired. I told him no, I didn't want to wait that long. I said I'd just stick to being Robin whenever I was in town. He said that was good enough, and we shook hands. A few weeks after that, he sponsored me to the Justice Society and I got in. Later on, I got a few sketches from an artist called, I think his name was Adams." 

"Neal Adams," said Helena. "I've got a better memory, Dick." 

"So you do. The colors were like my old suit, but they didn't have the short-pants bit. I had a uniform made up based on his sketches. Wore it once when I met your Dick Grayson on a case with the JSA and the League. Then I made it my permanent outfit about the time Power Girl joined up. That's pretty well it. 

"I'm about the age Bruce was when he hung it up, back then. I don't do too much of the Robin bit, but I do some. Helena'll tell you, we've worked together a lot. It's good to know there's still a Robin on this Earth, 'cause it won't be long before my Earth doesn't have one anymore." 

"Aw," said Jason. "You can still get married, Uncle Dick." 

Dick Grayson shook his head. "No, Jase. I never had that kind of luck with women. Guess I was looking for Miss Right, or maybe a woman that was like Jessica--my first wife--in the ways I liked, and not in the ways I didn't." 

Selina said, "Don't ever say never, Dick. I thought for certain I'd never find anyone to marry. Didn't think anybody'd want an ex-con like me for anything but one-night stands, and Batman wanted me, I knew, and I wanted him, but we were on opposite sides for so long. Then I got out of the joint for the last time, and I met Bruce. He seemed--well, I know it sounds dumb, since I know he is Batman now, and you folks always did--but it seemed like he had some of Batman's qualities, the strength and all that, without the hardness. I would say the meanness, and Bruce is mean when he needs to be, but he's not a hard-ass to the people he loves. We were going together, and I was still working with Batman, and I was darned if I knew which one I wanted to go to--I mean, which one I loved the most. I wondered sometimes if they might be the same guy, but I was never for sure. Feminine intuition? Bleah! 

"Then we had the Crisis thing, and he came over in full costume to my place, unmasked, froze me right on the spot, and asked me to marry him. I didn't have to say yes. He knows how to read people. So he was telling me about where and when we could have the ceremony while I was telling him yes, yes, yes, and I grabbed him and he grabbed me back, and we just about jumped each other's bones right there. Uh, sorry, Jason." 

"S'okay," said Jason. 

"But we decided we'd wait till after the ceremony, and now, well, look. So as soon as I'm well enough...oh, you can fill in the blanks." 

Helena, resting her head on her hands, smiled wistfully. "Hope I can find somebody myself. Between lawyering and heroing, I don't get much of a chance to date." 

Selina looked her right in the eyes. "Cut back on your heroing. It won't kill you, and you might find out Gotham City can go a few nights without you. I'm serious, Hel." 

Helena was a bit grimmer. "Gotham City in my world is just about as dangerous as yours. It doesn't have a Batman anymore. Alan Scott won't be around forever. I have to take up the slack." 

"Maybe it doesn't need one anymore," said another voice. "As long as it has you and Dick." 

All turned, except Selina, who was facing the newcomer. "Oh, Bruce," she said. "How pleasant of you to stop by. By the way, I'm Selina. Your new wife. In case you forgot." 

Bruce Wayne stood at the entrance to the Batcave room in which Selina lay abed. He looked a bit tired. As Bruce, he was allowed to. When he had on the mask, hardly anyone noticed him in fatigue. 

"I haven't forgotten," he said, not loudly. "Dick, Helena, Jason, if you please, I'd like to be alone with my wife for a few minutes." 

Dick Grayson nodded. "Sure, Bruce. Say, maybe later we could get together and--" 

"Not now." The business-suited millionaire stepped forward to Selina's bed, hardly looking at the others. Jason had learned to put up with it, but Dick and Helena exchanged surprised glances. 

"Let me know if you need me, Bruce," said Jason, as the three of them filed out. 

"I will," promised Wayne. 

After they were out of the door, Selina raised herself up on one elbow. "Hell of a way to treat your guests, and your adopted son." 

"I'm sorry," said Bruce. "I just needed to talk to you alone." 

"Bruce, I've got to tell you something. You're going to have to learn to be a human being again. Starting right now." 

"What?" He looked genuinely perplexed. "I am a human being, Selina. Much more than I'd like to be, sometimes." 

"Uh huh." Selina Wayne looked at him, coldly. "So you can come down here without so much as saying, 'Hello, how are you', to Jason and Dick and Helena, and tell them 'Get the hell out of here' in so many words. You ever know how cold you can be at times, like right now? These are your friends, Bruce. Part of your extended family. You know?" 

Bruce Wayne sat in the chair Dick had vacated. "I know, Selina. Right after this, I'll go up and apologize. But we're going to have to leave in a few hours, and I wanted to talk with you before I went." 

Selina lay back down on the bed and sighed. "My God. I've seen Alfred's and Jason's faces more than I have yours, since I got married to you." 

"It's something I have to do," he said, a note of petulance in his voice. 

"'Something I have to do,'" she mocked. "Since our wedding, you've chased off to Greenland, you went someplace in town that took up a lot of time, presumably as Batman, and now you're going off to India. Look, Bruce." She grasped his wrist. "I'm scared about this thing, too." 

He nodded. "I expect you would be. It wasn't me that got hit by a poisoned dart." 

"Right. My legs are still half-numb, and I'm hoping by the end of the week I'll be able to use crutches to get around. But that's not what scares me most now. You know what does?" 

"Losing me?" said Bruce. 

She breathed. "You really are the world's greatest detective," she said. 

He chuckled. "Didn't take too much talent to guess that." He cupped the side of her face with his hand. 

"Don't, Bruce," she said. "I don't know if I'll be able to say what I want to with you touching me like that." 

"Don't you think I've missed touching you, too?" he said. "Don't you think I'm looking forward to the night when we can make love?" 

"Oh, you bastard," she smiled. "That just frustrates me more. I don't know if I could do it or not now, but I know I wouldn't have the control I want. Maybe not the feeling, either. Let me talk, please?" 

"Sure, talk." 

"Take your hand away," she said. He did. 

Selina said, "I don't want you to die before we have a life together, Bruce. As man and wife, you know? I want you to make love to me and give me a child and have me bear it for us both. More than one child. I want to be part of a family again, and that includes Jason and even Alfred. I'm hardly a virgin...but you're the man I always wanted. Ever since we first met." 

He waited. 

"I know you want to find whoever did it, and take them down. You think you're protecting me. But so long as we live this kind of life, Bruce, it's going to be someone else trying to do it, and somebody after that, and somebody after that, and on down the line." 

"Selina, you know I can't give up being the Batman now," said Bruce. "You knew that before we got married. I told you. You said you wanted to go on being Catwoman, too. Remember?" 

"I remember," she said. "But being like this can change your perspective. How will we raise a child, Bruce, if we're always off on the rooftops, chasing the latest Joker-wannabe? What will he grow up to be, if he doesn't have a mother and father around when he needs one?" 

"We've been over this before. I can fit parenting into my life. I'll curtail some of my activities, if I have to." 

"I can see it. 'Sorry, son, couldn't be at the Little League today. Two-Face was trying to blow up the World Trade Center. You know how these things go.'" 

"What do you want me to say?" For a long instant, she saw the Batman in his aspect, and it frightened her. "Gotham is almost a wide-open town. Gordon and the cops can't cope with the ones that I face. I have to be there--" 

"Did you ever let them try, Bruce? Instead of charging in like gangbusters, to make sure you were the one who got the credit for busting the latest funny suit?" 

"Including you, sometimes." 

"Yes, Bruce. Including me." She paused. "It must be a great way to meet girls." 

He stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing. 

She tried to keep a straight face, then started cracking up, too. 

After a few minutes, they both got it under control. She snickered. "I had so much competition. Poison Ivy. Batgirl. Nocturna. I should be glad you picked me." 

"Best decision I ever made, along with taking in Dick and Jason," said Bruce. "I don't regret it. Even now." 

She rubbed her face with her hands. "That doesn't change the situation, Bruce." 

"Let me tell you why I have to do it," he said, moving to take her shoulders. 

"I know why you have to do it," she said. "Vengeance for your wife. Just like you had to take vengeance for your parents." 

He sighed and shook her once. "No. That's only part of it. Certainly, anyone who attacks you is going to have to have me to deal with. And he'll be lucky if he can deal with anything once I'm done with him. But it's bigger than that. 

"The person who has done this, Selina, did it as a challenge. Whether his grudge was against you or me--whether he knows that I am Batman, or just knows that Batman would avenge the Catwoman--he was challenging me. If I can't find him, if I can't repay him, take him down for what he's done, then he knows the Batman is no worry to him. Maybe no worry to the entire underworld. That could be more dangerous than you know." 

"You'll have to hang up the cape someday, Bruce." Selina wasn't smiling as she said it. 

He looked at her, stroked her face briefly. "Someday, perhaps. But, Selina, if I let this go by, it would be an open invitation to strike at you again. Or me. Or anyone connected with me. It wouldn't stop till one of us died. Maybe not even then." He withdrew his hand. "Criminals have a code of sorts. If you get hit, you hit back. If you don't hit back, the other guy considers you an easy mark, starts moving in on your territory. In this case, it'd be both of our lives...and Gotham. I won't have that. I will not have that." 

She sighed again. "Maybe you're right, honey. But I don't know. Seems like all your League buddies are getting married now. I hope all of us women don't end up widows in a year's time." 

He didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing. 

"I remember all those years I spent as a crook," said Selina. "In a cat-eared mask with a long slit up my skirt, or that green bodysuit, or the blue one. I made all my own outfits, Bruce. Did you know that?" 

He shook his head, smiling. 

"Did you like them?" 

He nodded, smiling even more. "I liked the slit skirt a lot, but the green outfit was my favorite. Not much exposure, but it showed off your body." 

"C'mere, Batman." He obeyed, and she kissed him open-mouthed, and kept on kissing him for a long time. When they broke, she was gasping. 

"I'm sorry, Selina," he said, holding her with concern. "Let me get Alfred. I'll call Dr. Dundee." 

"No, you idiot," she said. "That's not it. I'll be all right. I'm not doing this because I'm sick." 

"Oh." 

"I can't wait till we can go to bed together," she said. "If you want, I could--" 

"No," he said. "That won't be necessary. I'll be coming back. You will recover." 

"Are you sure? About both things?" 

"Sure as I can be." Then he looked up at the ceiling, with its stalactites high above, swallowed, and looked at her again. "But I have to tell you something, Selina." 

She waited. 

"In case I don't, I've made a deposit. At a bank. Not money. I've told Alfred about it." 

Her eyes widened. 

"You must use it, in such an eventuality, to--" 

"No, Bruce! Don't even say it. Tell me you'll stay home with me. Please." 

He looked her in the eyes and could not answer. 

"We will have children, Selina," he said, eventually. "One way, or another." 

She turned over on her stomach, careful not to pull out the IV line attached to her arm. 

Bruce bent over her. "Selina," he said. 

"Go away," she said, and he could tell she was holding back tears. "Go play Batman. I'll be here if you get back. Go." 

"Selina." 

"Go away!" 

He stood and left. 

-B- 

Alfred had wanted to go to bed, but he couldn't. Not when three men had showed up at the gates and been admitted. All were in civilian dress, none of them knew the others, and none of their faces or i.d.'s matched a crook's. In fact, after running their data through the Batcave computer with an upstairs link, Alfred knew just who they were, and judged that all of them could be safely let in. 

Jeff Pierce was one of them. Alfred had opened the gates electronically for the threesome, and, after they parked their cars in front of the mansion, greeted all three of them personally. To Pierce, Alfred said, "Go right on up, sir. Master Wayne is waiting for you." 

The other two were both black-haired and favored clothes off the pipe racks. One of them wore a hat, the other did not. The hatless one Alfred thought he had seen before, on televison. The other one he wasn't sure about. 

Alfred stepped inside with the three, had the two who weren't Pierce wait in the foyer, and accompanied Jeff to the library. He saw Bruce Wayne making what appeared to be an apology of sorts to Dick the Elder and Helena. Catching him in an awkward handshake with the older man, Alfred said, "Ah, Master Wayne, sir. Mr. Pierce is here for you, and two other gentlemen are in the foyer to see you, sir." 

Bruce looked up. "Jeff, good to see you back. What's your schedule?" 

Pierce smiled. "Takin' a couple of days off, Bruce. Try not to get me killed, okay?" 

Grayson said, "That's a promise nobody in our line can keep, fella. Dick Grayson." He stuck out his hand. 

For a minute, Pierce looked perplexed. "Oh," he said. "You're the older one. From the other, uh..." 

"The other Earth," murmured Helena, smiling a bit. She stuck out her own hand for a shake. "Hi. Helena Wayne. I wear a mask, too. You must be one of the Outsiders." 

Pierce took her hand and looked at Bruce. "She is cool, right, Bruce?" 

"She's the Huntress," said Bruce. "You saw her at the wedding. Jeff here is Black Lightning. Try and catch some sack time, Jeff, we're leaving for India in the morning." 

"India?" 

Bruce was already focusing on Alfred again. "Who are the other two?" 

"A Jack Ryder and one Edward O'Brian, sir." 

His suspicions were aroused. "Did they say why they wanted to see me?" 

"They had heard, sir, that the Batman was on the Catwoman case, and they wanted you to contact him on their behalf. They wish to offer their services." 

"If you need ours, too, just ask, Bruce," said Dick. 

"That's fine, Dick, but we can handle this." Bruce ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, give me a minute to change." He went to the old grandfather clock between two bookcases, touched a secret catch, swung it out from the wall, and stepped into the space beyond. Then he swung it shut again, from inside. 

"Just like on our world," said Dick Grayson. 

-B- 

Jack Ryder and Eddie O'Brian sat outside on the sofa, drinking Sanka provided for them by Alfred. They were somewhat ill at ease with one another. Jack thought O'Brian looked like an old-time gangster. O'Brian thought that Ryder looked like a wannabe private op. 

"So how do you have business with Wayne?" asked Ryder, casually. 

"Guess I could ask you the same question," said O'Brian. "Actually, I don't. It's Batman I want to get hold of. Thought of getting hold of the Commish and having him use the Hotline, but I've met Wayne." 

"And it was his wife that almost got whacked," said Ryder. 

"Ex-actly." O'Brian stretched himself on the sofa. He looked, to Ryder, almost taller than he had been when they had walked through the door together. 

Ryder toyed with his empty cup before refilling it from the coffee pitcher. "I owe the Bat Guy one," he said. "I work network security, even though I do special reports sometimes." 

"TV?" 

"Yeah. TV. Batguy helped on some investigations. I figure I can help him out in this case. Somebody he used to love gets hit, not surprising he gets involved." 

"I agree," said O'Brian. 

"Whaddya you do?" asked Ryder. 

"This 'n' that. Batman helped me out a few times, too." 

"You're an informant, right?" 

"Where'd you get that idea, paisan?" 

Ryder gave a wise-guy smile. "I know a guy who's been in the rackets when I see one." 

O'Brian shook his head and gave a tut-tut noise. "You gotta do something about that tendency to make unfounded allegations, pally. You might make 'em about somebody really connected. And he could disconnect you, permanently." 

"You talking tough?" Ryder put his cup down. 

O'Brian laughed. "Pally, maintain your cool. I'm about as dangerous as a dill pickle. I've just come to pay back a favor. To the Batman." 

"Okay," said Ryder. "Just don't pencil me in for any attention from your touch-up artists. I touch back." 

"Oooh, I'm impressed," sighed O'Brian, and pulled his hat over his eyes. Ryder decided he didn't like him. 

"Good evening, gentlemen," came a carefully modulated voice. 

Both looked towards the doorway. 

The Batman stood there, arms folded. 

"I've been working with Bruce Wayne on the Catwoman case, as you might have guessed," said the Dark Knight. "Jack, Eel, what did you want with me?" 

"Eel?" Ryder looked at the man beside him. 

Batman nodded at O'Brian. "You may as well let him know," he said. "He can be trusted." 

"If you say so," said O'Brian. 

With that, he withdrew his head below his collar, quicker than a striking cobra. At the same time, his arms and legs retracted within his clothes, two fingers snapping out a second later to snatch a glasses case from his own pocket. Then, something seemed to flow out of the pinstriped suit faster than Jack Ryder's eyes could follow. 

It resolved itself into a human shape, standing in front of the sofa where its crumpled suit, fallen hat, and abandoned shoes still reposed. 

The human shape had a red costume which left his legs bare and wore a pair of shades on his eyes and was easily recognized by Jack Ryder, who was drop-jawed for two seconds. 

"Plastic Man," he said. "Holy spit, I've been trading wiseguy dialogue with Plastic Man!" 

The Malleable Marvel grinned, sharkishly. 

Batman stepped forward. "I've got places to go in the morning. I assume you both want to help. Jack, Plas, let's talk." 

To be continued...   
  



	7. Chapter 7

bato7a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 7 

by DarkMark 

Ten heroes were crowded into two Batplanes, soaring over the sea between America and India. There was some small talk and socializing aboard the craft, diffusing the natural tension. It would be the second time most of them had entered battle and risked their lives within the week. All of them knew that, if they survived, they'd probably have to do it again, as well. 

Batman, Black Lightning, Katana, Halo, and Metamorpho were in Batplane I, which left Element Girl, Geo-Force, Looker, Plastic Man, and the Creeper in the second Batplane. Geo-Force piloted the second aircraft, and Looker sat in the co-pilot's seat. She had practically no airtime as a pilot, but she liked being close to Brion Markov. 

Element Girl didn't need to be told that the two were lovers. That seemed nice. 

"Lia?" she asked. 

Looker turned her head towards the girl with the chalk-white face and green hair. "Yes, Rainie?" 

"Um, we were supposed to be trading origin stories last night, but I ran on so long with mine that I didn't get to hear anyone else's. Is it okay if I ask about yours? And maybe Brion's?" 

Geo-Force smiled. "I do not usually participate in hen parties. But if you wish to know about me, Urania, feel free to do so." 

Looker punched his shoulder. "Hen parties, eh? What do you call those stag get-togethers you and the boys have, rooster rallies? Don't mind him, Rainie, he's a king. He's entitled to be dumb." 

Element Girl sat cross-legged in the cockpit behind the two of them. "I'd heard you were a king, Brion, but I haven't picked up a lot else on you yet. Why don't you go first?" 

The man in the green and yellow costume considered his words as he stared through the plane's windshield at the late morning sky. 

"I am a prince of Markovia, the nation which bears the name of my family, the Markovs. Our land is located between France and Lichenstein, and, since its liberation from Germany at the end of World War II, has not seen war until the advent of Baron Bedlam. Before the time of his usurpation, my life was not unlike those of other royals, I suppose. My father, before he died, taught me and my brother Gregor the things he thought we should know when one of us would assume the throne. For the most part, our people are farmers and miners, though we have some industry. Am I boring you?" 

"No," said Element Girl, quickly. "Please, go right ahead." 

"Very well," said Brion. "My speech is a bit more formal than I would like it to be, but English, you understand, is a second language. Very well, then. I will also mention that I had a sister, Tara, who was lost to us until recently. Before recent times, I can assure you, neither of us would have dreamed of possessing great powers, or wearing a costume, or doing battle with similarly-powered beings. Fate is interesting, eh? Ofttimes grim, but always surprising. Again, please forgive my way of speaking. 

"Well, then: I must let you know two things. First, that my brother Gregor and I have never been on the best of terms. Second, that a scientist came to us not long before my father's death, with a strange proposition. Her name was Dr. Helga Jace. She claimed that she had the power to infuse great abilities into a human body, giving one powers which stemmed from the very Earth itself. But she had made genetic analyses which indicated that only members of my family could receive the treatment without dying on the spot. And do not expect me to tell you the reason why, for I am no scientist. 

"She convinced my father to let her test the process on one of our family, who was Tara. She did, indeed, receive the powers Dr. Jace had promised. Her abilities were mostly manifested as the power to affect rock and earth itself, manipulating those substances the way she wished. As I said, before long she was gone, a runaway to America. But I digress. 

"Then came Baron Bedlam, the usurper. The man who brought war to our land anew, and that on the eve of my father's passing. The man who had been a Nazi collaborator during the Great War. His father had ruled the nation as regent, thanks to his sympathies with Hitler. When the Allies liberated our land, my father was restored to the throne, and the usurper was hung by a mob. Thankfully. Bedlam himself, who was called DeLamb, escaped. 

"In the time between then and the invasion, he amassed a personal fortune and a mercenary army. Then he struck at us. He was counting on my father's illness to make it that much easier for him to triumph. After Markovia was conquered, he intended to use it as a base for further conquests. Hitler, I suspect, was his model. But, luckily, this did not come to pass." 

Rainie was somewhat put off by Brion's storybook manner of speaking, but decided not to hold it against him, and didn't interrupt his story. Geo-Force continued. 

"Dr. Jace approached me, and offered me the same treatment that Tara had undergone. My brother scoffed at it, but I knew it could lend us the power we needed to withstand Bedlam, for our armament was hardly a match for his own. I was bombarded by the same energies, but they manifested different powers in me...gravity control, lava blasts, resistance to harm. The last I found out after Bedlam's troops broke into Jace's laboratory. I resisted them with my new powers. They shot me. They buried me. Minutes after they left my gravesite, I broke free of it." 

"They shot you and you didn't die?" marvelled Element Girl. "Didn't they even take time to check you out?" 

Looker smiled. "They were in a bit of a hurry, or so Brion's told me. Batman and the rest had arrived in Markovia by that time, and Bedlam's men were busy trying to cope with them." 

Geo-Force said, "That they were. But I was amnesiac for a short time, thanks to the bullet which creased my skull. During that time, Bedlam used Jace's machine to give himself his own distinct powers, and my brother was shot by his troops. The sight of Bedlam restored my memory. I battled him, prevailed, and threw him to the Markovians outside our castle walls. I thought they had destroyed him, but he escaped, somehow. Dr. Jace said that the geo-force, from which I took my name, had left him, but it is possible he still retained enough power to save himself." Brion shrugged. "No matter. When I meet him again, we will settle accounts." 

"Oh," said Element Girl. "So, um, that's when the team was formed?" 

"Yes," said Geo-Force. "Batman himself said that none of us had anything to return to, and that he could help us learn the correct way to use our powers, or, in Halo's case, learn her identity, or to find some sort of purpose in our lives. That was when Halo, Katana, Lightning, Rex and I joined with him as the Outsiders. Such we have remained, to this day." 

"You said something about your sister Tara," said Element Girl. 

"I did," Geo confirmed, a tad more grimly. "I was fortunate enough to find her again, when we all combined forces with the Teen Titans to battle those known as the Fearsome Five. It was a reunion on the run, so to speak. But we did manage to speak with each other after the villains were vanquished, though she seemed a bit--distant. Then again, the changes Tara, or Terra, as she was called, had undergone were enough to disconcert anyone. 

"That was the last time I saw her alive. Not long afterward, she perished fighting side-by-side with the Titans against the HIVE. I am given to believe her death was heroic. That pleases me." He paused. "But a death is still a death." 

Element Girl elongated her purple hand out and touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Brion." 

"Thank you, Urania," he said, still watching the skies ahead. "And that is my story. Now, Lia, what about yours?" 

"Me?" Looker squinted at him. "Why pick me, for cryin' out loud? Just because we're, um, going together..." 

The Creeper smiled more widely. "Hey, sounds like the best excuse I've heard in awhile. And I'm not playin' Secret Origins myself!" 

Plastic Man elongated his head forward from the back seat and spoke to Looker face-to-face. "Go ahead, honey. Mine's kinda boring, anyway. At least to me." 

Looker gave him her 200-kilowatt smile. "I doubt that. But let me try. 

"Okay. Fade in on a gal working at Gotham Trust. Her name was Emily Briggs. Married, no children. Dressed in suits more conservative than Pat Buchanan. Short hair, black-rimmed eyeglasses, the works. Her hubby Greg loved her, but she didn't love herself. Not very much. Especially when it seemed as though...well, anyone with looks was the one to get the big promotions, the big money, the guys hanging off their every word. And what words they had weren't much better than what you'd get out of a talking Barbie when you pulled her ring. 

"So. Out of nowhere one day, Emmy Briggs gets kidnapped by these two hulking hunks. The next thing she knows, she's taken by them, and I still hardly believe this myself, to an underground city. The people there are like a cross between the casts of Conan and Star Wars. They dumped me with these four six-foot Amazons who made me get out of my clothes and into this outfit I thought was positively repulsive." She gestured to her costume. "I mean, one side a pink silk wrap and the whole left leg bare, and this vest sort of thing with long sleeves and a collar, and a buccaneer boot on the left foot? Who died in fashion class?" 

Element Girl giggled. Even Plastic Man cracked a smile. Lia went on. 

"The Outsiders were working on a case that brought them down there, and we both met the ruler of the city, Prince Argon, a hunk and a half. He said I was their, quote, 'Most honored guest', unquote, and kissed my hand. After we all had a banquet, he told me that I was to become their queen. Still with me so far? Good. 

"I just wanted to go back to hubby and home. But he gave me this little history lesson instead, all about how some meteorite gave a king's kid super-powers some 4,000 years ago. They were psionics, mentalist powers. The kid, Loron, grew up to be a conqueror, but he overreached himself. He had to flee underground, along with his wife and some of his followers. That's how the underground city, Abyssia, got started. One of Loron's line was exposed to the meteorite in each generation, and gained the psi-powers. 

"Okay. The long and short of it was that Ector, the king of a couple of generations back, wanted peace with the surface world. The rest of the kingdom wasn't hot on that idea. They'd been raised for centuries to get ready for the big brawl that would wipe the surface clean of people, and let them take over. Ector escaped, went to the surface world himself, adopted a new identity. Ector was--my grandfather. 

"I didn't know about any of this until Argon told me. He was one of Ector's advisors, and so was his sister. Both of them took power in Ector's abscence, and split up the kingdom. They were at war with each other, and Argon wanted me to get the powers of Loron's line, so that I could tip the scale in his favor with psionics. On top of the powers, he told me that the meteorite would transform me physically. Make me beautiful." 

"It did," said Rainie. 

"Um, thanks," said Looker, blushing a bit. "It...it was like this. I'd been practically a poster girl for wallflowers all my life. Janis Ian used my life as a template when she wrote 'At Seventeen.' Only in my case, it was at seventeen, eighteen, and all the years up through twenty-five. All the years before it, too. My mother...didn't like me being too pretty. She'd gotten--" 

"Lia, it's all right," said Geo-Force. "You don't have to tell them every--" 

"She'd gotten herself raped when she was in school," said Looker, in a rush. "My grandfather took care of the guy who did it. They never told me how, but I can guess, now. By the time Mom got married and had me...she made sure I was plain. Plainer even than normal. I...she...oh, God." Looker turned away, towards the side of the cockpit. 

"Lia," said Geo, casting a look in her direction. He was about to place the plane on auto-pilot. 

But Element Girl wrapped herself around Looker in a cocoon of her pliable limbs, not restraining, but hugging her, supportively. "Shhh, Lia, it's okay, it's okay." 

"It wasn't," she sobbed. "I'm sorry. I was lonely. Even when I got married, even when I made love, oh, God, I'm sorry..." 

The blue glow about her eyes was not dimmed by the tears. 

The others were silent. Geo-Force was, from the look on his face, almost in physical pain. 

Rainie Blackwell spoke. "They gave you the powers of the king's line?" 

Mutely, Looker nodded. 

"And it made you, uh, what you look like now?" 

"Yes," Lia said, trying to get herself back under control. 

The Creeper did something uncanny at that point. 

He touched his palm in a certain way, and was transformed from the green-haired, yellow-costumed weirdster to the business-suited form of Jack Ryder. He fished in his pocket for a handkerchief and held it out to Looker. "Here, honey," he said. 

Plastic Man looked at him, curiously. "You're Jack Ryder. Kinda expected that, but that's how you get out of your makeup and sheepskin and all?" 

"Yeah, and here's how I get back into 'em," Ryder said. He touched the palm-device again, and, in a shimmer, returned to the appearance of the Creeper. "Just don't go spreading this around. Outside of Bats, you're the only ones who know." 

Looker, sniffling, said, "Why did you let us know?" 

The Creeper shrugged. "I trust you. Besides, you needed a hanky." 

"Great line, Creep," said Plas, cynically. 

"Hey, wait'll you hear my Karloff dialogue," replied the green-haired man. "I reserve it for the baddies." 

"Enough, boys," said Rainie, easing her grip on Looker somewhat. "So, Lia, I guess you and Batman and the bunch put things to rights down below, huh?" 

Looker sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry for acting like such a soap-opera bawler, gang. Honestly. It's just that...well, I'm still Emily inside, lots of times, and I still remember what...ah, hell. Everything I say, it seems to be as trite as a B-movie script." 

"Anything but that, darling," said Geo-Force, still at the pilot's seat. 

"Argon tried to use me to make Halley's Comet hit the Earth, by psychokinesis. I don't think it would have destroyed the world, but you may have heard about that Siberian explosion in 1908. That was probably a comet hitting Earth, and maybe not as big a one as Halley's. I was brainwashed, made it change course, but I snapped out of it when Argon broke my wedding ring. That brought me back to normal...or whatever I was, then...and I helped Batman and the others take him down. I got the comet back on its normal course, too. We all came back to Gotham, and I met Greg, and gave him one hell of a Christmas present." She smiled, wistfully. 

Element Girl looked at Geo-Force, and then back at Looker. 

"You're wondering about Greg," said Looker. 

Rainie nodded. 

"In short order, I got a lot of male attention, I became a model, he decided I...was not the woman he fell in love with...and we split up." 

"I'm sorry," said Rainie. 

Geo-Force cast a glance back at them. 

"I'm not," he said. 

-B-   
  
Nobody knew what caused the big breakout in Arkham Asylum, followed shortly by the one in Gotham State Pen, but all were agreed that it couldn't have come at a worse time. 

Most of the civilian crooks had been rounded up shortly afterward. The greater number of those who escaped were Batman's costumed enemies. That scared the hell out of the average Gothamite, because people like the Joker had a tendency to leave a few corpses behind before they got shoved back into stir again. 

Croc, still recovering from his beating, hadn't taken advantage of it. Others like the aforementioned Joker, Two-Face, the Penguin, the Riddler, Killer Moth, the Cavalier, Black Mask, and Poison Ivy had. Along with them were a multitude of miscreants such as the Cluemaster, the Signalman, the Mad Hatter, and Hugo Strange. But, strangely enough, most in the latter category seemed to vanish from the streets of Gotham after their liberation. Were they in hiding elsewhere, or totally disappeared? 

The only way of knowing was to wait for them to strike, and the city already had its hands full with the malefactors who were known to be at large. 

The explosions which freed the costumed crook brigade occurred when the Batplanes were already over the ocean, far from the United States. The police braced for the wave of robberies and murder to come. 

But they were not alone. 

Alfred Pennyworth was stopped from sending a call to Batman to tell him of the situation. Nightwing was the one who placed the hotline back on the receiver cradle. "No, Alfred," he explained. "Bruce and his friends have their hands full. He's been there enough for us all when we needed him. Now it's time we repaid the favor." 

The old butler looked beyond the man who was once Robin. Behind Nightwing stood others in costume: young Robin, old Robin, and the Huntress. They looked resolute, and well aware of the weight on their shoulders, though the pair from Earth-Two had never faced many of the villains at large. 

"Do you think you will be enough?" asked Alfred. 

"We're meeting Batgirl at a rezendevous point," said Nightwing. "If I need to, I can call in Kory and the Titans. But I think we'll be enough." 

"Better believe it," said Jason Todd, slapping a Batarang against his gloved palm. 

"Don't worry about us, Alfred," said the Huntress. "Worry about the bad guys." 

"I worry most about Mistress Selina," said Alfred. "There will be none to protect her, save I." 

The older Robin said, "It'll have to do, Alfred. If your Bruce is anything like my Bruce, you know where our priorities have to lie." 

"I do," sighed Alfred. "All too well." 

Nightwing turned to the three others. "All right, Bat-Squad--to the cave!" 

The four of them moved out, Jason giving a big war-whoop along the way. Before long, the Batmobile and two Batcycles would move out of the Batcave's hidden exit. 

There was nothing else for Alfred to do except prepare Mistress Selina's soup. 

That, and hope Ra's Al Ghul was as far away from Gotham as possible. 

-B- 

Batman kept as much visual contact with the second Batplane as he could through the clouds, and made certain that both planes tracked each other through various instruments. A computer screen kept each Batplane appraised of the other craft's condition, and each pilot could contact the other through a video terminal if necessary. 

Black Lightning, Metamorpho, Halo, and Katana had gotten up a gin rummy game in the back. That was fine with him. Especially, he thought wryly, if Gaby kept winning as often as she did. When it came to poker, he could trounce everyone in the group but Katana. The woman had an incredible ability to bluff. 

He was glad for his ability to compartmentalize. When he needed a clear head, which was most of the time, he could lock away his feelings of pain and concentrate on the matter at hand. At the point of combat, in which controlled fury was an asset, he could unlock the mental cabinet and let his anger and hurt flow forth. They were usually quite effective. 

That was how it had been when Kathy Kane, the Batwoman, was murdered by the Sensei's minions some years back. It had been weeks between the action and its avenging, during which the Batman had to handle other cases and Bruce Wayne had to complete numerous acts of business. When the time came, the Sensei paid--possibly with his life, though Batman was not sure. Ra's and Talia had been involved in that case, as the Sensei's enemies. 

Now he concentrated on what he knew of Kobra. 

The saga had begun with Marie and Robert Burr's vacation in New Delhi, India, over 20 years ago. Their presence there had to be more than coincidence, as Marie was quite pregnant at the time. She gave birth to Siamese twin sons, who were safely separated after an operation that lasted almost an entire day. However, they were told that one child died, and were presented with the other, whom they named Jason. 

Throughout his life, Jason experienced strange pains, pleasures, and other sensations which he could not understand. Not until he reached adulthood did he learn the truth: his brother was still alive, and still linked to him by an empathic bond. What hurt Jason, hurt his brother, and vice versa. 

In the years between, the other Burr twin had been kidnapped by the Cobra Cult, straight off the operating table, and raised to become their chosen leader. 

The Cult had been formed shortly after the British conquest of India, to oppose the occupying army and, hopefully, to drive it out. It took Mahatma Ghandi to accomplish that objective, but the Cobras managed an impressive underground effort nonetheless. Like the Mafia, the Triad, and other such societies, what began as idealism degenerated into criminality. In the modern era, they had collaborated with the scientifically advanced crime organizations such as OGRE and the International Crime Combine, and, most likely, the HIVE. They had become wealthy and powerful--and deadlier than ever. 

The Burr brother had been born at the precise horoscopic moment to lead their band, in their reckoning, and the Cobra Cult was successful in making him into the very model of a modern super-criminal. His mastery of the various martial arts was on a plane with Batman's. His knowledge and command of science and technology was Luthor-like, though he couldn't quite match the latter's incredible intellect. 

He was also a ruthless killer, and none could speculate how much blood was on his hands, directly or indirectly. 

He wore a costume of orange and green and used various weapons and commanded the Cobra Cult's hordes. He seemed to know all the Justice Leaguers' secret identities, though he did not reveal them to the world or even the criminal fraternity, preferring to use them as an advantage of his own. When he went up against individual super-heroes, Kobra had been thwarted, but never really defeated. 

That included Batman, and the Outsiders as well. 

When Kobra began his open command of the Cult, his existence became known to his brother, who fought him. The serpentine savant knew well that their empathic bond was a threat to his continued existence, but harming Jason Burr would bring similar harm to Kobra himself. Thus, in his battles with Jason Burr, Kobra was very, very careful. 

Until the day that he captured Burr's girlfriend, used the Lazarus Pit of Ra's Al Ghul to turn her into a living zombie, and had her lure Burr into a trap. Batman had become involved in the case by chance, got captured along with Burr, and learned Kobra's secrets from him. The Gotham hero had freed them both from a trap that would have immersed them in the Pit, and almost managed to save them both. 

Almost. 

Kobra had fashioned a "neural neutralizer" which blocked the linkage between himself and Jason Burr. Thus, he was able to have Jason killed. This happened when the enslaved girl plunged a large knife into Burr's back, full in the sight of Batman. Enraged, the Dark Knight had attacked Kobra, but the master villain had escaped. Batman swore vengeance, even if he had to bring the entire Justice League in to gain it. 

Thus far, that had been an empty vow. Batman had encountered Kobra several times since then, once in the company of Aquaman and Green Lantern, the other times with the Outsiders. So had Superman. Their foe remained at large, his organization still unbroken. 

Just like Ra's Al Ghul. 

Well, it was time to do something about Kobra once and for all. If he was behind the attempt on Selina's life, so much the better. If not, he was going down nonetheless. Then Batman would continue the search until he found the party responsible. 

Whatever the case, only one of them would walk away from this encounter. 

He only hoped that none of the team had to perish in the onslaught as well. 

Batman chanced a look back at his four allies, and wondered if it had been like this for soldiers on their way to storm Normandy. But it hardly mattered. The task was theirs, and they would perform it. 

A slight tone and a blinking light signified that someone was trying to get through to him on the Hotline. That signified Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, or the JLA. He punched a button on the communications panel. "Yes?" 

It was Gordon. "Batman, are you anywhere in town? We've got a situation here." 

"I'm out of bounds, Jim. How big?" 

Gordon gave an audible sigh. "Jailbreak. A lot of your old waltzing partners are out. The Joker, Two-Face, all that lot. Thankfully, Croc is still laid up." 

Batman paused a long moment. "I'm on a mission, Jim. I can't abort. Can you call in the Justice League?" 

"We may not need them," said Gordon. "Batgirl just left. She said she's hooking up with four of your friends. She told me there's two Robins and Nightwing, but that has to be wrong. Who the hell is this Huntress? Can't be the one married to Sportsmaster." 

"It isn't," said Batman, relaxing only a bit. "I'll tell you about them when I get back. Put in a call to the League and have them on standby, if they can. But for right now...I think Gotham's in pretty good hands right now." 

"I hope so, old friend," said Gordon. "Best of luck." 

"You, too," said Batman. "So long, Jim." He flipped the phone switch to the off position. 

In the compartment behind, Black Lightning looked up. "Who was that, Bats?" 

"Just Commissioner Gordon, Jeff," the cowled man replied. "Just letting me know about things back home." 

Katana and Black Lightning looked at each other, knowingly. 

"We're going to be busy when we get back," she said. 

***** 

In a New Delhi hotel room, King Faraday finished his briefing to the group which stood or sat before him. An unlit cigarette was in his hand, one of the local brands which he had found quite flavorful. 

"I play Judas goat on this one," Faraday explained. "You guys keep us in sight, but keep out of sight. When I lead them into the objective position, you strike. If he makes me out before we get there, I'll give the signal. You hit 'em then, and radio Kobra's boys to come running. He wants Batman captured. The others he'd prefer captured, but I don't think he's that fussy." 

"Can we bust up the Bat some before we bring him in?" asked one of the group. 

Faraday shrugged. "Your call. Just remember the boss wants the real pleasures left to him." He placed the cigarette in his mouth. "That's all. Any questions?" 

Nobody said anything. He took his lighter out, snapped it once, twice, three times. No soap. Fuel had run low. 

One of the group let a stream of fire pass from her finger to the end of Faraday's cigarette. That did the trick. 

The American grinned. Guess super-powers were good for something, after all. 

To be continued...   
  



	8. Chapter 8

bato8a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 8   
by DarkMark 

Batman hadn't been to India all that often in his career, and that was fine by him. He didn't particularly enjoy the sight of poverty, overpopulation, and ethnic tension. 

It was like Gotham City with wandering cows. 

That was an insult, and he chided himself badly for it. No nation that produced such literary treasures, spiritual visions, and men like Gandhi could be so callously written off, and he wasn't about to. 

Nonetheless, he would be glad when his business here was done. For the sake of the others, and of his wife, he wished to make his stay as brief as possible. 

Halo poked her head through the doorway. "Are we there yet?" 

He turned back, formed his lips into a smile. "Within the hour. Get back and buckle up, Gabby. Our descent begins soon." 

"If we have time, will you let me see a man walking up a rope? Or maybe a flying carpet?" 

"If we find one, and if we have time. Go sit down, Halo." 

She obeyed. 

Batman steered his plane on an angle that would bring it closer to the Earth and mused on Gabrielle Doe's innocence. All this time with the team, fighting some of the deadliest supercriminals around, and she was still, mentally, so much a little girl. 

He prayed she never lost it. 

He feared that her loss of it would come from one of the Outsiders' duties. 

The detective grasped his hand mike. "Everybody belt up. We're in descent. Prepare to deplane in 55 minutes. That's all." 

Black Lightning stopped doing his Bill Cosby imitation for Katana. She never laughed, but when the edge of her mouth twitched, he knew he had her. Metamorpho was dozing, his belt already buckled on his five-colored frame. 

"Best lock in, Tat," Lightning told her, buckling his own seat belt. 

"You must finish the story of Old Weird Harold and the monster picture for me," said the samurai. 

"Believe it," he said. Cosby she could handle. Richard Pryor she wasn't ready for. 

Not yet. 

-B- 

The Joker was allied with some powerful players. Among them was Mr. Freeze, whose cold-gun had proven troublesome for Batman and Robin in the past; Poison Ivy, a diminuitive beauty whose uses of plants and their poisons in crime had gained her a place in the Injustice Gang of America; the Scarecrow, whose strange gas-pellets created tailor-made fear in the minds of his targets; the Cat-Man, a former big-game hunter inspired to crime by the example of the Catwoman, part of his costume made of a strange orange cloth which lent him nine extra lives, then renewed its power every few years; and Molech, a powerful, long-limbed giant of a man who had battled Batman only once, and very nearly killed him. 

The troupe announced their presence by freezing the top five floors of the Gotham Towers building and taking fifteen people hostage. 

The ice surrounding one face of the building was sculpted by Mr. Freeze's cold-gun into a Joker face, because the boss insisted on it. "Proper trademarks bring proper opposition," he said. 

"All right, all right," said Freeze, and altered the huge face three times till the Joker declared that he'd gotten it correct. 

"Cheekbones weren't high enough before," the Clown Prince of Crime grumbled. "Not nearly high enough." 

Poison Ivy luxuriated on a couch, her gun of deadly thorns pointed towards a bound hostage. "Just remember, Big Laugh, when this gig is over, it is over. We go our separate ways. No fair killing us afterward, either." 

"Wouldn't think of it," simpered the tall, gangly, green-haired murderer. "Would never cross my mind, dear Ivy. That is, unless I had a really, really good reason." He laughed and squirted Cat-Man with water from a fake flower in his buttoniere. 

Cat-Man spluttered and wiped water from his lower face and the phony whiskers on his mask. "Cut it out, will you? I thought that was acid, at first." 

"Oh, dear me, no, Cat-Man," the Joker assured him. He turned towards one of Ivy's potted plants, nearby. "For acid, I have to touch another button, like so." 

A foul-smelling liquid sprayed from the plastic flower and turned the plant into a hissing ruin. 

"Joker." Ivy was incensed, almost pointing her gun at the white-faced man. "You...killed...Harold!" 

"Knock it off, Ivy, it was just a posy," said Mr. Freeze, laconically. 

The girl's face was reddened by anger. "There is no 'just a posy'. Plants are higher beings than humans. They don't betray you. They don't sell out your love. Apologize right now, Joker, or I'll..." 

The Scarecrow raised his hand, meaningfully. There was a glass ball in it, containing fear-gas. He made sure Ivy saw him. So did the Joker. 

Sighing with rage, Poison Ivy lowered her thorn-gun. "If you had to kill somebody, why couldn't it have been one of the people?", she simpered. 

"I'd be delighted, Miss Ivy," said the Joker, with an unctuous grin. "Point to the party, and I'll do him for you. Just as a good-will thing." 

Molech reached out his hand, cupped a hard clay mug of coffee, drank it, then crushed the mug in his hand without ill effect to himself. "This is meaningless. You make futile gestures, play at theatre, make your robberies, play at entrapment, then lose the prize, your money, your freedom. Where is the Batman? He is the only reason I came with you." 

The Joker regarded his large cohort. "Forgive me, dear Molech. I know it's been a long journey from the Louisiana state pen, ma cher, and, unlike us, you weren't so gifted at escaping prison. But you were reccommended to me for your brains as well as your brawn, and it did take some expense to bring you here. I suggest you remind that, consider the power we can accumulate, and even the money. Which, in toto, should be a lot more than you would have gained from that gold mine you killed that blues musician to try and acquire." 

"Blues man?", said Cat-Man, suddenly curious. "I hope it wasn't B. B. King." 

"To hell with that," roared Molech, rising to his 7-foot-4 stature. "I want the Batman. Where is he?" 

The Joker looked somewhat annoyed. "Actually, dear boy, we're not entirely assured he is here. From what I've learned, the Batplane was given clearance by the FAA not long ago, it was bound overseas--" 

"What?" Moloch grabbed the Joker by his lapels and hauled him up, the criminal comedian's feet dangling in the air. The Joker had his hand at his belt, prepared to loose a dart tipped with Joker-venom into Moloch's thorax. 

"Put him down," intoned the Scarecrow, in a voice made sepulchral by the device in his headmask. "Put him down, or you shall fear." 

Poison Ivy glanced at a monitor hooked into a camera set in the building lobby. "Damn," she said. "Look!" 

Cat-Man, Scarecrow, and Freeze turned to the monitor immediately. The Joker slapped Moloch's arm. The giant grudgingly released him. Both of them went to the monitor and saw what there was to see. 

"The cops," muttered the Joker, looking at the invading force in blue uniforms. "How dull. I usually try to leave them alive, but business is business. Mr. Freeze, if you please." 

The villain in the cold-suit was about to head for the elevator, but something else stopped him. 

Four metallic barbs on the ends of harpoons punched their way through the ice into the penthouse windows around them. The heads of the barbs opened up and disgorged four small spheres. 

These hit the floor and produced four small explosions, bowling the villains off their feet. The fifteen bound hostages were discomfited, but not greatly. 

The barbs then extruded four hooks apiece, which abutted the ice sheath around them, and then the harpoons were retracted. The ice broke away from the four windows with a series of cracks. All of this happened within ten seconds. 

The four Whirly-Bats outside were on automatic pilot. Nightwing, Batgirl, Huntress, Robin, and the Robin of Earth-Two leapt from the open cockpits through the holes in the ice sheath, into the penthouse. 

"Batman's outta town," snapped Nightwing, rushing forward. "Will we do?" 

Battle was joined. 

-B- 

Batman and his crew had endured some photographers from the Indian newspapers and video reporters as well, waving off all questions. Halo wanted to talk, her bubbly nature coming to the fore, but Katana told her not to. They wanted cooperation from the government in their venture. Ergo, no bad press. But none of them liked having it announced that they were in India in the first place. 

It gave Kobra time to prepare. Then again, Batman figured that he'd probably already been doing that, a bit. 

One photog leaned in a little too close and triggered a flashcube right in Looker's and Element Girl's faces, almost blinding them. 

The Creeper went into a crouch, sent his yellowish body into a spring, and hit the man like an arrow seeking a target. He was grinning as he bore the man to the floor, both feet on his chest. The crowd of onlookers gasped and drew away from the scene. 

"Creeper! NO!" barked Batman, getting the words out while the other was still in the air. 

The outlaw hero smiled at the Masked Manhunter, his hands on the cringing man's camera. "Awww, Bats, have a heart. I wasn't gonna hurt him, just his Polaroid here." 

"I said 'No,'" Batman replied, quietly. "And I meant it." 

Just as the Creeper was grudgingly getting off the man and trying to extend a free hand to help him up, a red-sleeved, elongated arm snaked out, wrapped about his chest, pinned his arms to his sides, and yanked him back to the group. 

In the process, the Creeper dropped the camera and it broke, exposing the film. The photographer cursed and wept. 

"What'dja do that for?" complained the Creeper to Plastic Man, who was just now releasing his pliable arm. "I was gonna let him up!" 

"One, it looks better if we keep our own kind in line," said Plas, his expression neutral. "Two: I'm electing myself as your official keeper, on this gig. You need one." 

The Creeper fumed at him. "Plas, I've got the feeling this is the beginning of a really terrible friendship." 

Batman cracked a smile and led his party on. 

After seeing the jumping yellow man and the strange being whose limbs behaved like a python's body, the press corps and the looky-Lous gave them a lot of space. 

That was just the way he wanted it. 

Several men in policemen's uniforms stood not far away, flanking a man in plainclothes with an air of officialdom. Batman recognized him from a photo. He led his band in that direction and went and extended his gloved hand to the official. "Inspector Singh," he said, firmly. 

Singh shook it. "The Batman, of course. Apologies, esteemed guest, for the reception." 

"No problem." 

"Please follow me, with your associates." 

They did. 

-B- 

On Earth-Two, a man and a woman were sharing a telephone call. 

"I don't like it, Karl," said the woman. "I don't like it at all. If those two are involved, we should be involved, too." 

"Kathy, be reasonable," Karl answered. "I've got a kid. You've got kids. We're old. We don't do this sort of thing anymore." 

"Oh, yes we do," Kathy retorted. "We just don't do it as often. And we use more gadgets. But we still haven't hung it up." 

"You're going to want to play hero when you're in a rest home," he declared. "I swear, that's just what you're going to do. You'll be lying in bed in a costume. Only time you'll take it off is when they bathe you." 

"How will you like it if Selina dies, Karl? Think you can live with that on your conscience?" 

"No. No, I can't. But she's going to be in danger all her life. I mean, she was before she got married." 

"Not like this, Karl. Not like this." 

Karl sighed. "You've met the other guy. Once. What was he like?" 

"Just like our Bruce. Only a little nobler, if possible. We can do our part, Karl." 

"Not without me doing a lot of explaining to the wife, who has to sit with Junior and his asthma tonight. Not without you getting me into that Transporter thing." 

"I can do that. The Society gave me honorary access." 

"You're crazy," said Karl. "Believe me, this is the last time I ever do a thing like this. Ever. Especially with you." 

"You really mean that?" 

"Probably not. Come pick me up in an hour." 

-B- 

In his office, Singh had traded information with the Batman, while the Outsiders crowded into the room in wooden chairs. Some of the offices had gone chairless because of their number, and some of the officers on duty were hanging around the door, hoping to catch another peek of the American heroes. 

"So, essentially, you are going down the list of your most powerful foes, and trying to eliminate suspects," said Singh, a bit dubiously. 

"That's right," admitted Batman. He had not told Singh that Kobra knew his true identity. 

The inspector took his time about sipping a cup of warm tea. Then he said, "Very probably what I would do, in such a situation. We know of Kobra, of course." 

"Of course," said Batman. "The Cobra Cult's main basis has always been your nation." 

"But we have no assurances that he can be found here," said Singh. "Kobra is, after all, an international criminal. He could be anywhere on the globe. If he is your foe, and he has struck down your friend, then most likely, he is in America." 

Halo piped up. "You know, he's got a point. Didn't you think of that, Batman?" 

"Shush, Gabrielle," hissed Katana. 

Batman favored them with a glance, and turned back to Singh. "It is possible Kobra is still in America, if he is our perp, and if he was there in the first place. He could have struck through agents. However, my strategy is twofold. First, we show ourselves on his turf--in his territory. An act of arrogance calculated to draw his attention. Second, we strike at his home operation. A man such as Kobra cannot afford to overlook such a challenge to his authority. To his power." 

Singh said, "Kobra has no authority in this land. Power, yes. But the two are not one and the same, friend Batman." 

"No, not the same," agreed Batman. "But power often masquerades as authority, and can prove at least as effective. If we break Kobra's power, we break his pose of authority." 

"Have you," said the policeman, "given thought to the view that Kobra may be luring you into a trap? He is, after all, an old enemy of yours." 

Batman smiled wolfishly. 

"I'm counting on it," he said. "The best way to spring a trap, quite often, is to walk right into it." 

"Just so," said Singh. "However, many an animal has found that the springing of a trap leaves them without the odd limb." 

"Just so," the hero agreed. 

Unexpectedly, Singh pointed at the Creeper. "This man," he said. "He is not one of your team. He is, I believe, an outlaw." 

"Me?" The Creeper was dumbfounded. "Hey, sahib, I've had a few bad raps laid on me, but I'm a real straight-and-narrow guy. I'm clean, pinky square--" 

Metamorpho stretched his neck out to give him a shut-up look. 

Batman was already speaking. "The Creeper is with me. We have worked together before. It is true, he is wanted for questioning in the United States in connection with a number of crimes. I am assured, however, that those charges are false." 

"But neither you, nor he, have demonstrated that they are," said Singh. 

There was silence for a couple of beats. 

"No," admitted Batman. "No, we haven't." 

Singh took another long swallow of tea. In that interval, the Outsiders (especially Katana) and the police in the room read each other. Neither group wanted to start a fight. All were hoping to avoid conflict. And all knew that, if the Creeper were detained, there might be hell to pay. 

That, for a man most of them had never met before yesterday. 

Plastic Man spoke up. "Inspector Singh, I, too, have been a criminal in the past. I followed the path of thievery, of preying on my fellow men. That changed the day I gained my powers. A wise man in my native land taught me to follow the path of justice, helped me become the Plastic Man. Not long after, I received an official pardon, became a liason agent with our Federal Bureau of Investigation. If no forgiveness had been extended to me, then I would be as much an outlaw as the Creeper. Yet, I can stand before you today, a man of no small repute, and I will tell you this. The Creeper may be accused of crime. But he is no more a criminal than myself." 

The green-haired hero's jaw dropped. He looked at Plas, unable to speak. 

"Way to go, Stretch," whispered Black Lightning. Then the Ebon Bolt raised his own voice. "Your honor, if I might add my own voice to that: I come from a part of one of our great cities that isn't too much better-looking than one of your own city slums. I've met a lot of bad people, a lot of good people, and a lot of folks that were just in-between, until somebody gave 'em the proper nudge. I don't rate the Creeper as a bad person. I think the police gave him a bum rap. But he can't set the record straight without revealin' his secret identity...and he just can't do that. There's a $50,000 reward on his head by the syndicates. For his sake, he has to keep his secret." 

Halo stood up from her chair. "Mr. Inspector, I've got something to say." She clasped both hands behind her back, and crossed her fingers for luck. 

Katana tugged on her sleeve. "Halo, sit down," she insisted. 

"No," Gabrielle answered, not looking at Katana. "My words may not mean anything. I may not even say 'em right. But part of me...this body, anyway...trust me on that...it started out as somebody really bad. I mean, really, really bad. Like mega. Truly. But, um, something happened, that I just can't tell you about. And here I am now, and I'm, well, a hero. Or a heroine, I guess, isn't that right, Katana?" 

The Japanese woman looked up at her with something like unbelieving horror. 

"So, I guess the point is, we don't have to stay bad if we don't want to, just like Mr. Plastic here said. Or if something happens to you like an Aurikle fusing with your body. Aw, heck. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm standing by the Creeper, too." 

"Aw, jeez," said the Creeper, wondering if he should react with gratitude, disgust, or both. 

Metamorpho was the next to speak. "Me, too," he said. "I don't know this Joe too well. Just met him a few weeks back, in the Crisis...you know, that thing with the red skies. But Batman thinks he's a right guy, and I know Bats is a right guy. So I'm sticking with the Creeper. He's got my vote." 

Element Girl grasped Metamorpho's hand. "And anybody that's all right by Rex is all right by me. I'm for the Creeper, too." 

"Thanks, honey," said Rex, nonchalantly. He didn't pull away from her hand. 

Katana did not rise, but she said, clearly, "I support the Creeper." She did not waver her eyes from Singh. 

Geo-Force added his booming voice next. "Most esteemed Inspector Singh, I come to you in three distinct aspects. As a man of royal blood, the prince of the proud nation of Markovia. As a super-hero called Geo-Force, whose power stems from the very Earth upon which we tread. And, most importantly, as an Outsider. You may assure your ruler that the prince regent of a distant but proud land stands beside this man called Creeper, and will fight beside him to the very death. Especially against our mutual foe, he who plagues your land, he who is called--Kobra. To the number who stand beside him, let there be counted, most emphatically--the man called Geo-Force." He went to stand beside the Creeper, and placed his hand upon the other's shoulder. The Creeper was flabbergasted. 

Looker grinned, and gave Singh her sexiest smile. "I'm Spartacus. Sorry, you may not get that ref. What I mean to say is--I'm a Creeper booster, too." 

The inspector tapped his empty cup against his knee. Then he said, "Most impressive. And you, friend Batman?" 

Batman smiled. "I've known him longer than anyone in our line. If you can trust the Batman--then you can trust the Creeper." He looked at Singh, pointedly. 

Singh sighed. "You place me in a difficult situation, legally. He is, then, one of your Outsiders?" 

The masked man looked behind him, at all of his group. Especially at the Creeper, and at Plastic Man. Then he turned back to Singh. "All of them. Myself, as well. We are all--the Outsiders." 

And if the green-haired man and the flexible hero in shades reacted visibly, history does not record it. 

Singh said, "Then, on your recognizance, and with yourself bearing the responsibility for it, friend Batman, I will not detain the Creeper." 

There was time enough for the Creeper to wipe his brow and say "Whew," and for Halo to throw up her hands and yell, "Yay!", before Singh resumed his speech. 

"But," he said. "If my faith proves to be misplaced, then the rest of you will be equally held culpable, and equally liable to arrest. Agreed?" 

Batman spoke for them all. "Agreed." 

"I cannot guarantee your freedom outside of my jurisdiction," said Singh. "If, however, I am asked, I will repeat to them the gist of what you have given me. That is the extent of what help I can give you. That, and one other thing." 

The heroes waited. 

"Since your arrival, I received a call about someone who claims to be an old friend of yours, and wishes to help in this case. I was not able to confirm his identity, or his business in this area. But he said he helped you fight the Demon's Head. Does that trigger any recognition?" 

Batman nodded, slowly. "I think it does. Is he here?" 

Singh nodded to a lieutenant. "You may bring him in, now." To Batman he said, "Conduct your business as thoroughly and quickly as you can. We would applaud the removal of Kobra. But we also wish as little involvement in the matter as we may have." 

"Understood," said Batman. 

The lieutenant quickly returned with the man in waiting. He wore a white trenchcoat. "Batman," he said, sticking out a hand. "How's it hangin'?" 

Batman shook King Faraday's hand. "Very good, King. Glad to see you're still about. What brings you here?" 

"Same thing as you," King said. "I think I can help you out. Ready to move?" 

Metamorpho said, "After coolin' our heels in this place for about an hour, you bet." 

"Blessings upon your enterprise," wished Singh as the heroes filed out. "Believe me, you will need them." 

-B- 

Wayne Manor was one of the toughest places in the state to get into, if you weren't wanted. But that was okay. The crew had just the right equipment to do it. 

The Cobra Cult members, a 12-man squad, wore body-covering uniforms of a color that was practically invisible to television monitors. They were picked up on infra-red, but by then the operation was already underway. They struck first at the power lines that fed into Wayne Manor, cutting the cables with a laser. That tipped off Alfred, who was Catwoman's sole guardian at that moment. The emergency generators cut in within three seconds. But hell was already popping. 

The Cultists attacked through the concealed door which normally opened to admit the Batmobile onto a little-used road. They applied an explosive paste to the joining of steel door with metal frame, touched it off, and rushed inside. The automatic sleep-gas dispensers only took down one invader, who hadn't adjusted his gas mask properly. 

Lasers employed only as sensors sprung into action, creating a web to identify the number and character of the invaders. The stun-guns that opened up on the eleven, seconds thereafter, shot projectiles that only penetrated the body armor of two of the men. The leader of the nine left standing motioned quickly for them to continue. 

Alfred Pennyworth stood by Selina Kyle, a Tommy gun loaded with mercy bullets in his hands. She was alert, up on one elbow. "Alfred, who is it?" she whispered. "Can you i.d. them, yet?" 

"Not yet, Mistress Selina," muttered Alfred. "But I've a feeling, God help us, that we'll know who it is before long." He only wished that the Master hadn't found the gun where he'd hidden it, or insisted that he replace its conventional armament with mercy slugs. 

Even when it came to invaders of his home, the Batman preferred to disable, not to destroy. 

Now he saw them. Six had made it through, past the other defensive devices. He raised his weapon and fired. 

He knocked two down, but their body armor protected them from harm. Their leader pointed a wrist-device at him. A bolt of electricity shot from it and contacted the Tommy gun. Alfred yelled, involuntarily, and dropped the gun in pain. 

Rubbing his numbed hand, the butler rose from a crouch and stood between them and Mistress Selina's bed. She was out of that bed now, crawling towards a cage on the other side of the Batcave, but it was going to be too far for her to reach. Before the Cultists dropped them both. 

"Master Wayne, Mistress Selina," said Alfred, facing their foes, "forgive me." 

The Cultists advanced. 

"Hold it," said a woman's voice. 

A nanosecond later, a flying, jet-propelled, winged metallic device shot forth from the direction of the grandfather-clock door and plowed into the line of invaders, sending them sprawling. It was not much bigger than a large bat, which it resembled. 

Alfred turned and looked at the two figures who were running down the stairs from the mansion above. 

One of them was a man in a black uniform with a catlike mask upon his head. 

And the other one, Alfred was persuaded, simply had to be a ghost. 

To be continued...   
  



	9. Chapter 9

bato9a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 9 

by DarkMark 

The catmasked man had a metal boomerang in his gloved hand as he ran, and threw it before he reached the end of the staircase to the Batcave. 

He had good aim, especially for a man of his age. The leading edge of the weapon was as sharp as the average razor, and left one of the Cobra Cultists with a bicep spurting blood. Despite his training, despite his devotion to the mission, despite his fear of what the team leader would do to him, he knelt, grabbed his spurting wound, and screamed. 

That was fine by the King of the Cats. 

Five assailants remained, and only three defenders stood between them and the crawling Selina Kyle. One was Alfred Pennyworth, who had never seen the Cat King before. Small wonder, since Karl Kyle had never been to this Earth before. 

The second was that same King of the Cats, who was unleashing an electrified whip from around his waist and snapping it at the fivesome. Some of them drew back. The team leader didn't. He had a gas grenade in his hand. 

The third defender was a woman in a familiar yellow-and-red costume, who held a small control device in her hand. The device caused the flying robot bat to double back and smash into the back of the grenade-holder's head, very hard. Even body armor couldn't protect him from the impact. He groaned, and fell forward. 

"The grenade, Alfred!" yelled Batwoman. 

The butler dropped his mercy-bullet Tommy gun without thinking, did a dive that would have credited a minor-league ballplayer, and cupped the falling grenade in his hands before it could hit the floor. The problem was, in so doing, Alfred hit the floor, back first, and was practically in the middle of the four remaining Cultists. 

They had guns, and they were aiming at him. 

The King of the Cats whickered his whip at the foemen and snapped it around the guns of two of them at once. He pushed a stud in the handle of his whip. The electric charge into its steel fibers was redoubled. The intruders' gloves had some protection for them, but not enough. They howled in pain and dropped their weapons. 

Batwoman was hardly in her prime. But, for a woman past fifty, she never negelected her physicality. She proved it by cannonballing into the two badmen who still held armament, and knocking them down. She kicked their guns away, towards Alfred, who picked them up and held them ready, one in each hand. His fingers were still somewhat numb, but he managed to fit his forefingers around the triggers. 

If a dead woman's ghost was going to defend him, the least he could do was return the compliment. 

Karl Kyle raked his claws across the forearms of the two men he had disarmed. Their armor was lighter there for mobility, just enough for him to penetrate. On the ends of the metal claws he had attached to his fingers was a harmless but potent sedative. Within seconds, the two Cultists crumpled to their knees, then lay flat on their faces. 

The two Cultists Batwoman tangled with had pushed her away and were on the point of attacking her. Before Alfred could trigger a burst at them with their own weapons, the lady crimefighter was back on her feet, dipping into the red shoulder bag she carried and flinging something at them. It was a dust that sent the two into a coughing fit. 

She then extruded a blackjack from her bag and coshed the two men smartly over the head with it. Busting one's knuckles on a crook's jaw was fun, but she had to admit that, at her age, this was more effective. The Cultists went down. 

But one of the others came up. 

The team leader, behind them, feeling mightily sore from the impact of Batwoman's robot bat, rose again, whipped out a gun, and began to fire. 

Behind him, the sound of scraping metal, and a woman's voice had rung out: "Hecate, now!" 

A large black panther rocketed into him from behind, striking him down, sending his bullets awry. 

The Cultist screamed. He could feel the beast's great claws digging into its back, hear it growl its predatory signal into his ear, feel its weight holding him to the tile-covered limestone of the Batcave's floor. He knew what the thing was without seeing it. Nonetheless, he started to turn his head. 

"Don't turn your head," warned Selina Kyle. "Don't even move. I can only control him so much." 

"My God," breathed the King of the Cats. "Selina, you're back. You're really, really back!" 

"I hate to tell you this, but I never left," said Selina. "Uh, Batwoman, if that's who you really are, I want you to come over here and help me up. The rest of you, stay where you are. I mean that." 

The man who was holding his bleeding arm had already passed out, so there wasn't much disagreement from him. Alfred and the Cat King stood pat. The great black panther called Hecate stayed obediently on the Cultist's back, obedient to his mistress, but wondering when--or if--he'd be allowed a mouthful of this trembling bit of prey. 

Batwoman walked quickly over to the empty cage from which Selina had released her pet. "I can't tell you how strange it is to see you here," said the masked woman. "I mean, on my world, you're dead." 

Selina took her hand and allowed Batwoman to pull her to a standing position. She had a golden collar and leash in her other hand. "Well, I hate to tell you this, but over here, so are you. Help me over there, honey. I'm still pretty weak. And thanks." 

Batwoman supported Selina across the Batcave floor as the latter stumblingly walked over to the great cat and his prisoner. "Hecate," said Selina. "At ease." 

The panther did not resist as his mistress put the collar on him and drew him away from the Cobra Cultist. Selina Kyle turned to Batwoman. "Give me that thing you were using earlier," she said. 

"The Flying Bat or this?" Batwoman held up her blackjack. 

"That," said Selina, indicating the sap. Batwoman handed it over. 

The Cultist, his body-armored back showing the deep tears Hecate's claws had made in it, craned his neck back, nervously. 

Selina Kyle swung the blackjack down and conked him smartly on the head. The Cultist went down. Just to make sure he was out, she bashed him a couple more times. He was still breathing. Selina was grateful for that, at least; her no-murder policy remained unmarred. 

But the task had wearied her. She had to sit down on the Cultist's body. Batwoman stooped to grasp her. "No, I'm all right," sighed Selina. "Alfred, go get some red meat from the freezer. Hecate won't go back in his cage until we give him some. It's that, or one of them." 

"With all due haste, Mistress Selina," murmured Alfred, smiling and rubbing the circulation back into his hands. "Um, Mistress Batwoman. I take it from your earlier remarks that you and your friend hail from that other Earth? The one the Huntress calls home?" 

Batwoman smiled. "Right, Alfred. We're both from Earth-Two. I'm sorry to scare you like this, since I've heard that--well, you know. The Batwoman on this Earth is dead. But I just heard about Selina a few days ago, when I finally got a chance to talk to D--Robin on the phone. I got hold of Karl here and we decided to offer our services, too. After all, we're family. Kind of." 

"Karl," said Selina Kyle. "Earth-Two. That doesn't mean you're...no, it just can't be." 

Karl looked at the Cultists, decided they were unconscious enough for him to risk it, and took off his mask. "I know you've never seen me before, Selina. But, my God, you look exactly like my sister when she was younger. My name is Karl Kyle. I'm your...well, that is, I'm..." 

"You're the brother of the other Catwoman," said Selina, stroking Hecate's head as the big cat purred. "I wondered when I'd get a chance to meet you. Wait till we take care of my cat here, and we'll talk. Go get the meat, Alfred." 

"With all due haste, madam," said Alfred, ascending the Batcave stairs. 

-B- 

There was no time to think of a battle plan. Nightwing and his cronies simply chose their targets on the fly and piled into them. 

Admittedly, the Joker and his crew were adequate to the challenge. True, the older Robin and the Huntress were unfamiliar to them. But that mattered little. Mr. Freeze opened the fight with a blast of ice in Nightwing's face. Dick rolled, smashed his head on the floor, and broke the block before it hardened. Nonetheless, he came up gasping. His hand was on a Batarang from his belt as Molech grabbed his ankle and lifted him. From the strength in the giant's grasp, Nightwing knew he was in a dangerous position. 

Young Robin caromed off Molech's knees from the back as Batgirl looped a lasso about the villain's neck and pulled. That, combined with a heart-punch from the upside-down Nightwing, got Molech to release him. But their huge foe was roaring, grabbing the batrope and pulling Batgirl closer. Wisely, she let go. 

Old Robin ducked under a slash of the Cat-Man's claws, rammed an elbow hard into his foe's yellow-shirted gut, and was pleased to hear the grunt of pain from him. The Huntress roped Poison Ivy's gun hand, sending her thorn blast awry, and knocked her head over heels with an uppercut. But the smaller woman bounded to her feet again and dove at Helena, bearing her to the floor and trying for a scratch with her poisoned nails. 

The Joker and the Scarecrow stood above the fray for the moment. The twin pillars of Mirth and Fear were sizing up the battle and, apparently, awaiting the best point in which to strike. Jason Todd saw them and, rashly, decided the issue for them. He came at them on the run, a hand in a pouch of his utility belt. 

He threw a flash-bomb at the same time the Scarecrow threw a fear-gas pellet. 

The Joker had seen the act and had fought the Bat-crowd enough to recognize their equipment at a glance. Thus, he had shielded his eyes with his arm. The Scarecrow, only a little slower than his compatriot, was unable to avoid the flash. He was able to grab several more glass balls from his costume, each, like the one just dropped, containing a potent psychochemical that reacted with the brain's fear centers. 

The younger Robin punched up hard and true, slamming hard into Jonathan Crane's concealed jaw, and put the bad man out for the count. 

That was when he began to fear. 

Before his eyes, like an LSD flashback, there flickered the images of his greatest terrors. Of his parents being torn apart by Killer Croc. Of dropping to his death from a high trapeze. Of having parts of his body threatened by a razor-sharp scalpel. Of seeing Batman gunned down before his very eyes. 

He struggled to clamp nose filters from his utility belt into his nostrils, but they were only partially effective. 

The Joker grinned, as he almost always did, and stepped forward, taking the boy by the throat. 

"No!" 

Nightwing, who had been grappling with Mr. Freeze, vaulted over and wrenched the young Robin away from the Joker's grasp, not without effort. Robin of Earth-Two, fighting Cat-Man, freed a hand and bounced the hard edge of a Batarang off of the Joker's ribcage. Batgirl, who was flipping over Molech's back, could render no aid, and the Huntress was still struggling with Poison Ivy, who was stronger than she looked. 

Jason shut his eyes, crouched, fought the nightterrors that assailed him. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done, like trying to scream in a nightmare in which your voice is reduced to the merest squeak. 

Old Robin's voice came to him. "Fight it off, kid. We need you!" 

They did. He knew that. He may have been just a boy, but the others depended on him now, as part of a team. Part of the Bat-Squad. This was what Bruce had trained him for, as he had trained Nightwing, and this was what he must not fail at. 

Moreover, he didn't want to look bad in front of Old Robin. 

He shivered, but the terror-images were still burning in the back of his brain. Irrelevant. What mattered was the Joker, free again and pointing a gun at him. The guy must figure him to be the weakest link. 

He was about to learn different. 

With a cry of rage, Jason flipped himself over and over again, in an acrobatic maneuver that both Dick Graysons caught and silently approved, and smashed into the Joker, sending the harlequin's shot awry. It bounced off a marble block on the wall and came near hitting one of the trussed-up hostages on the other side of the room. 

The Joker, snarling, was about to unleash a venom-weapon. There was no time for finesse. 

Jason Todd brought his knee up as hard as he could into the Joker's crotch. 

The stream of conscious thought that went through the Joker's mind damned himself for not attending to defense, and for underestimating the Bat-brat. But most of him was on automatic now, and the best he could do was double up, grab his crotch with his free hand, and finally utter a groan some seconds after the fact. 

Old Robin and Nightwing tore themselves away from their respective foes and, dodging blasts from Mr. Freeze's gun, hurtled towards the Joker. Laying one hand apiece on the purple-suited mountebank's shoulders, they dragged him upright. Then they slammed fists into him, and weren't holding anything back. 

The Joker's last conscious thought was of how embarrassing it was to be beaten by three Robins. Then he pitched backwards. 

Batgirl was having a tough time of it with Molech. She had taken a glancing hit from him, unable to dodge in time, and the whole side of her face was numbed where he had struck it. Instead of ducking away, she had bored in, leaping at his gut with both hands extended for a punishing finger-strike. She struck at his throat with the side of her hand and at his groin with her knee, both moves guaranteed to put away the toughest normal man. 

But Molech was not a normal man, and, though he showed a slight bit of pain, hardly paused in his assault. One of his great hands grasped her cape. Before she could unclasp it from her neck, Molech's other hand was at her throat. 

She gasped, raked at his eyes with one hand, to no effect. The giant's gaze showed some small satisfaction. He might not be killing Batman, but Batgirl was a sufficient appetizer. 

With only a little more pressure, he would snap her neck. 

Batgirl's vision was becoming tinged with red. Her last attempt to breathe had come three seconds ago. Her numbed hands fumbled at her belt. So hard to think...where was the right compartment? Dammit, where? 

She went through four of them, feeling the bones in her neck grind, before she got to the right one. It was a weapon she reserved for the greatest emergencies. 

Summoning all her strength, Batgirl raised her hand and smashed a glass ampule of acid against Molech's face. 

The monster howled in pain. His face was cut along the cheekbone, and the acid ate into it there and elsewhere, bubbling up and burning flesh. The grasp of his mighty hand loosened, almost involuntarily. 

Batgirl was able to draw in a great breath, bring her feet up against Molech's chest, draw in her knees, and thrust away from him. Her neck sprang free from his fingers. She rubbed the places where he had grasped it. 

Unfortunately, her cape was still in his left hand. And, raging like a bull speared by a picador, his right hand, the size of a small suitcase, was balled and poised to hammer down upon her skull. There was no doubt that he could crush it, with a blow. 

The Huntress, struggling to keep Ivy's deadly nails away from her skin, noted Batgirl's plight from her position on the floor. Abruptly, she brought her head up in a blow against Ivy's forehead, hurting and surprising her foe. 

Then she brought her own knees up and propelled Ivy off of her, in an arc that brought the plant-mistress against Molech's back. 

She hit him nails-first. 

Molech started, his fist seemingly paralyzed. He was much more than a mere bruiser, an intelligent man fully capable of masterminding his own criminal schemes. But Batgirl saw a look of incomprehension on his face, as if something had occurred for which he finally had no referent. 

Then, in short order, he bent double and fell sideways. 

Poison Ivy had little time to reflect on what she had done. The Huntress grabbed her by the shoulder, turned her around, and walloped her smartly on the jaw. She joined her compatriot on the floor. 

Batgirl, still gasping in air, got to her feet. "Thanks, sister." 

"We've still got a couple to go," warned the Huntress. 

Both of them turned to the place in the room from which new sounds of combat were coming. Both Robins were dodging iceblasts from Freeze's cold-ray, while Nightwing was sparring with Cat-Man. The Feline Felon sported a couple of bruises on his face, but Nightwing's costume was slashed along the right side of his ribs and some blood was visible in the gashes. 

"Let's go help," said Batgirl. 

Both of them sprinted in that direction. 

On the fly, the Huntress snapped open the big yellow pouch at the side of her belt and grabbed her mini-crossbow from inside it. When she was a mere ten feet from Mr. Freeze, she dropped to one knee and held it in front of her, a small arrow already nocked to it. 

Freeze, no slouch at reflexes himself, swung in her direction and aimed his cold-gun. 

Helena Wayne was a tad faster. 

The small arrow from her crossbow flew to its mark, and severed the feeder tube connecting Freeze's gun to the freon tanks he carried on his back. A noxious cloud spurted from the severed end of the tube. Crying out, Freeze grabbed it and pinched it off. 

That was more than enough time for both Robins and the Huntress to reach him, lay into him, and send him sprawling senseless. 

Cat-Man, no mean acrobat, had whipped away from Batgirl and Robin and pressed a certain area of his belt. Then he grasped for something in a different part of it, but its contents remained unopened. Batgirl tackled him, driving her head into his stomach, just as Nightwing slammed a Sunday punch into the side of his jaw. The Man With Nine Lives went down and didn't come up. 

Nightwing held out his hand and helped Batgirl to her feet. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. "Not a bad showing, all things considered." 

He replied, "Best call the lobby and tell Chief O'Hara he can come up now. We'd better get Molech to the paramedics. He might make it through." 

Batgirl put a hand to her throat. "That's a good reason for not getting him there. All right, I'll make the call. You guys tend to the hostages." 

The door to the hallway flew open. 

The noise caused all five of them to look in that direction. The hostages were a lot closer to the hall door than Nightwing and company were, and, in short order, several other figures quickly filed in. 

Two-Face. The Spook. Killer Moth. Deadshot. Black Mask. The King of Crime. 

All of them were armed with what appeared to be Uzis or something of that ilk, save for Deadshot, who carried his own weaponry on his wrists. 

Two-Face, who carried both his guns with authority and swagger, half-smiled, half-impassively looked at the quintet of heroes. "Don't worry about the hostages," he said. "I just couldn't resist the chance to lead the second team." 

-B- 

"King Faraday's been around even longer than I have in this business," said Batman to his team, one gloved hand on the agent's shoulder. "During the Cold War, he was recruited by American intelligence for some quite dangerous assignments. They warned him before he took it that even if he broke under torture, the government wouldn't even acknowledge his existence. We've worked together against Two-Face and Ra's Al Ghul, in the past. His code-name used to be 'I-Spy', and I don't think he'll be too embarrassed if I say that he lived up to it." 

Faraday kept smoking his cigarette. Black Lightning leaned against a wall of their hotel room and said, "There's something I've always wanted to ask you, then. What was Bill Cosby really like?" 

"Not that I-Spy, Lightning," said Metamorpho. 

The trenchcoated man shrugged. "Long as you don't ask me about my tennis game. Anyway, here's what I've got, and it isn't much. As far as Kobra's old hangout, forget it. After Wonder Woman busted up his last caper there, it was gutted and demolished by the government. He's in some new digs now, and I've got a lead on where he's at. A mountain retreat, kind of like what Ra's used to have." 

"Ra's still has more than one of them," murmured Batman. "Go on, King." 

"The Cult guy I got to killed himself before I could get much more out of him," said Faraday. "All I know is that Kobra's supposed to have been poking around with some cosmawhatever science lately. Gonna be doing one of those world-threatening numbers pretty soon, I guess. Kind of stuff that brightens up you heroes' dull existences." 

Katana said, "So why are you still alive, Mr. Faraday?" 

He turned to her and stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray. "It isn't like Kobra's covering his tracks too well on this one. My guess is that he wants you all to know about it. A come-and-get-me kind of thing. After all--" King looked at the heroes before continuing. "You haven't done too well against him so far, from what I understand." 

Halo jumped up. "Now, just a minute! That isn't fair, Mr. Trenchcoat. We've beaten him every time we went against him." 

The Creeper said, "Speak for yourself, babe. Plas and I never met the guy." 

Geo-Force grasped Halo's wrist, lightly. "We may have stopped Kobra's plans, but not Kobra himself. Mr. Faraday speaks the truth in that regard, Halo. This time, we must bring our foe down, whatever the cost." 

"Careful how you use those words, Geo," said Plastic Man. "Sometimes, the cost can be pretty high. In lives." 

Batman said, "Enough of that. One important question, King: we're also trying to learn who attempted to murder Selina Kyle, the former Catwoman, at her wedding to Bruce Wayne a few days ago. Ra's has denied doing it. Do you have any information that might connect Kobra in any way to that action? I know it's a long shot, but he's capable of it." 

Faraday looked at his old friend. "He's capable of anything. I haven't heard of the Catwoman thing till you told me just now, Bats. But you're Numero Uno on his enemies list. So if he wanted to get your attention, I guess hitting the woman you used to love might be a way of doing it." 

The group was silent for a moment. 

Then Batman said, "All right, then. Tomorrow, we'll hit him." 

To be continued...   
  



	10. Chapter 10

bato10a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 10 

by DarkMark 

Even at the speed they could command, it would still take some time for the two Batplanes to reach the region of the mountains in India for which they were bound. Batman shared one plane with King Faraday, Geo-Force, Looker, Plastic Man, and the Creeper. The other craft carried Metamorpho, Element Girl, Katana, Halo, and Black Lightning. Things would have been a bit cramped in Batman's plane, except for Plas's ability to compress himself into a much smaller shape. The Creeper found that a bit unnerving. 

"Can't you stay normal till we get there?" groused the green-haired man. 

Plastic Man, who had let Faraday have his seat and had now wrapped himself like a python about the bottom post of the Creeper's seat, shrugged his upper half. "There aren't enough chairs back here. It's either this, or one of us rides in the tail-section brig. Besides, Creep, it's what I do." 

"Yep, it's what you do, all right," the Creeper said. "Along with changing yourself into lunchpails and mailboxes and streetlights and rugs and things. All of 'em in red, with a big yellow stripe. You think crooks'd catch on." 

"I generally don't give 'em time to," said Plas. "Or I shape my face to look like somebody else. See?" 

Within seconds, Plastic Man rearranged his facial features and pushed his shades onto the top of his head. Except for eye color and the lack of a white streak at his temples, his face was a dead ringer for Faraday's. 

"Knock it off," said the spy. "One of me's all I want to deal with, right now." 

"So be a critic," said Plas, and snapped his features back to normal. Before he pulled his shades down, King looked at him curiously, then leaned forward. 

"Hey, I know you," said Faraday. "I mean, I know your face." 

"Keep it to yourself, then," Plas instructed, pulling the rubber-framed shades over his eyes again. "A lot of people still don't know I'm Eel O'Brian. That's the way I'd like to keep it." 

The man in the trenchcoat fumbled for another cigarette. "You got it, Plastic. But I never would'a guessed that you used a small-time gangster from the Fifties for your cover." 

"Didn't use to be a cover," said Plastic Man. "That's enough, all right?" 

"Okay, okay," Faraday replied. "Maintain your cool. Jeez." He lit the cigarette. 

Looker wrinkled her nose. "Jeez yourself. Do you have to smoke all the time, Mr. Faraday?" 

"Well, it gives my hands something to do," he said. "It makes me less nervous. Plus the way my life goes, I figure I'm not destined to die from lung cancer." 

Geo-Force spoke up. "How long have you been a spy, Mr. Faraday?" 

Faraday exhaled a long puff of smoke. "Over 25 years. I'm gettin' up there." 

"If you have not died in the line of service during those 25 years, is it not more likely to assume that you will continue to live, until your blackened lungs give out on you?" 

Silence for a moment. Then King Faraday broke it with a laugh. "Don't know whether to take that as a downer or a compliment, Geo. Don't worry, next time I'll try to make it just the Batman and me. He never complains." 

"Well, we do," said Looker, emphatically. 

Sighing, Faraday stubbed out the cigarette in a plate he'd brought from the galley. "Satisfied?" 

Before she could answer, Batman's voice rang out from the intercom. "King, I'd like to see you up front. After him, I want to see Plastic Man and Geo in that order. Out." 

Faraday got up from his seat and trundled into the narrow aisle. Passing by the Creeper, he asked, "Wonder why he didn't ask to see you?" 

"He trusts me," said the Creeper, with a grin. 

The American agent stepped briefly through a partition into the cockpit and took the copilot's seat beside Batman, but did not take the control yoke. "What's in the wind, Bats?" he asked. 

"Just wondering, King. How'd you cross swords with Kobra?" 

Faraday stretched his long legs out before him. "Not much to tell. Doing a routine followup on an agent's murder in Pakistan. Trail led to New Delhi. That's where I ran afoul of the Cobra Cult guy. We shot it out, I won. He told me some stuff before he checked out. I passed it along to you. End of story." 

Batman looked at him. "Must've been some very heavy stuff for the Cultist to betray his oath of silence." 

The spy nodded, soberly. "It is. Said the whole world could go up in smoke from it. So heavy that even he was afraid of what his boss might do with it." 

"And the agent in Pakistan found out about it?" 

"As far as I know," said Faraday. "At least, it makes sense. They strung me along to lure me into the guy I shot's trap. Only thing is, I know all about traps. All about 'em." 

Batman nodded. "Big schemes draw lots of players. On both sides." 

"I've noticed they do," Faraday agreed. 

"King, I can't think of another agent I'd rather have by my side at this moment," said Batman. "I want you to know that." 

"Pleasure's all mine, Bats." Faraday stuck out his hand and the Batman shook it. "But you seem to draw a lot of players, yourself. Every month, I hear about at least three new capers you've been into. You're like a magnet." 

Batman looked out the window. 

"I keep busy," he said, not looking at Faraday. "Every week or two, it seems they conjure up a new demon. And he always picks me for the dance. All right, King, that's all. Go back and send up Plas, if you please." 

"Will do," said Faraday. "And, Bats?" 

"Yes, King?" 

"I hope your friend Catwoman makes it. I really mean that." 

"Thank you, King. Very much. Now, go get Plas." 

-B-   
  
"So that's how I got the powers, and that's what I owe to Batman," said Black Lightning, finishing up. "That good enough for you, Rainie?" 

"Very good, indeed," said Element Girl, sitting sideways in her plane seat. She looked back at the other two women. "That only leaves you two. Kinda fitting, since you seem to be pretty close." 

"Oh, yes," said Katana, quietly. "We are that." 

Halo smiled widely. "Tatsu's one of the nicest persons I've ever met. When you really get to know her, that is. She's not just totally Samurai, y'know--" 

"Gabrielle. I am totally Samurai." Katana was not smiling. "And I always will be." 

Halo stuffed a knuckle in her mouth, trying to form an apology. Element Girl decided that a save was in order. 

"So why don't you tell me how you got to be that way?", she said. 

The Japanese woman in the red mask turned to Element Girl and, after a pause, began. 

"My tale begins almost thirty years in the past," said Katana, folding her hands in her lap. "I was born to a banker and his wife in the city of Tokyo. My childhood was uneventful, though I was adept at some disciplines of the martial arts." 

"She almost made the national championships in freestyle karate," enthused Halo. "She told me so." 

"Halo--please." 

The blonde subsided. 

"As I was saying, I was purposed to become a good housewife, once a man had been found for me to marry. In my twenty-first year, there were two who vied for my hand. Both were brothers, of the Yamashiro family. One was Maseo, the other Takeo. I saw the stability and, yes, the virtue in Maseo, and chose him. Takeo was spying upon us the day I made my choice. He came between us angrily, and attacked his brother. But Maseo defeated him in combat, and sent Takeo away. Not long after that, I was given to Maseo in marriage. Takeo did not take this well. He ended up in the arms of the Yakuza, was given their dragon tattoo, and became one of their most prized assassins within a short time. My parents, alas, died in an automotive accident not a year after our wedding." 

Element Girl stretched out her hand to try and lay it on Tatsu's arm, in sympathy. Katana looked up at her, and Rainie drew back her hand. 

"Unto us, Maseo and myself, were delivered two children, whose names were Yuki and Reiko. They were the pride of our lives. I had a job in my father's bank, in currency exchange. My husband was an electronics technician. For three years, we did well." 

Another pause, and Rainie and Halo knew well enough not to fill it in with words. So did Jeff Pierce, who had heard the story before. 

"Then Takeo entered our lives again, and took three of them with him...or, perhaps, only two. In the time intervening, Takeo had nursed his grudge against his brother, both for finding favor in my eyes, and because he himself had been disowned by the clan Yamashiro for becoming a criminal. But he also had a taste for antique swords. The favorite of his collection was a great blade forged 600 years ago by the smith Muramasa, who was said to be mad. Some of his swords were said to be cursed. In the case of one of them, I can verify the fact." 

Rainie's eyes met with Halo's for an instant, but neither said a thing. 

"This sword was sold to Takeo by one General Karnz, a weapons dealer whose merchandise was often not acquired without blood. It is said that the sword called out to Takeo, and he paid a dear price for it. With his money, and, perhaps, with his soul. For days after acquiring it, Takeo did nothing but polish the Muramasa sword. At one point, he reportedly polished it with his own blood. That was seven days after he bought it. 

"On the eighth day, he dressed as a Ninja, invaded our home, and sought to steal me from my husband's arms. He struck me down with the flat of the blade, and, in so doing, stumbled against a brazier and overturned it. The house...caught fire. Yuki and Reiko were drawn by the noise and the smell of smoke. They entered our bedchamber, crying out in fear. My husband, struggling with his brother, turned his head towards them. I was still pained from Takeo's blow, but I arose. I arose in time to see Takeo wrench free of Maseo, and bury the Muramasa blade deep in my husband's body." 

They waited for Katana to speak again. They waited for almost thirty seconds. 

"I was able to strike out at Takeo, with kicks and shuriken. I was able to drive him away, in pain. By striking the underside of his sword arm, I caused him to drop his beloved weapon, which I recovered. I knelt beside my husband's body. I...knelt there a long time. Too long. The house was...burning up around us. Wooden beams fell over, blazing, onto the bodies of...Yuki...and Reiko. I heard them call for Maseo and me. Then I heard nothing from them. And I cried out to them, I cried out that I was coming to save them... 

"And another voice told me no. It told me they were already gone. It was Maseo's voice. 

"It came from the sword." 

"The sword?" exclaimed Rainie. "You mean, your..." 

"Ssshhh, Rainie," said Halo, with a slashing motion of her hand. Element Girl became quiet again. 

"Maseo's spirit was taken within the sword," said Katana. "He talked to me, within my mind. He told me that my children were already dead, and that his brother had escaped. He told me to run, before I, too, died in the burning wreckage. 

"So I ran. And, from a distance, I looked upon our burning house. My view was obscured by tears. I shed many that night, for I knew I would have no opportunity to shed anymore until I found Takeo Yamashiro. 

"That was the night Tatsu Yamashiro died, for all intents and purposes, and that Katana was born. 

"I had the examples of the men and women in our history who would disguise themselves while undertaking missions of vengeance. I knew of the Ninja, and studied their ways. But I also knew of heroes. Some of our land, such as Sunburst and the Rising Sun. Others in our former foe and current ally-land, America, such as, yes, the Batman. Tatsu Yamashiro would never be able to take the vengeance my family required. I designed the costume you see me wear today. I took my husband-possessed blade, and learned how to wield it and the other weaponry I carry. I became a ronin, a masterless samurai. I took my name from my blade, as tribute to the husband I carried in my scabbard. That is why I am called by the name of Katana. 

"I made the Yakuza fear my name, as would others whom I faced and fought. I learned from them the trail Takeo had followed, and followed up those who had aided him, as well. One of these was General Karnz, the man who had sold him my husband-sword. I went to Markovia to deal with him. And I dealt with him." 

Element Girl found, once again, that even in her current state of being, a chill could run down her spine. 

"That was the place in which I first met Gabrielle, who is Halo, and the Batman, whom I call friend and, in a way, my liege-lord. Now I am no longer ronin, but samurai, since I have found one whom I may serve. He, too, knows the paths of vengeance, and of justice. From him, I have learned much. From me, he has earned loyalty." 

After a few more seconds, Element Girl said, "What about Takeo?" 

Katana looked up at her, matter-of-factly. "We encountered him again, in the company of Yakuza, American criminals, and four warriors summoned and controlled by the power of the sword. One of these warriors was my husband's spirit. I faced him in battle, but would not hurt him. His spirit would be freed of this plane, freed from imprisonment or servitude, if I slew him with my blade. He saw that I cared for Gabrielle. He threatened her. I slew him. I freed him." 

"Oh, God," breathed Rainie. 

"Mere seconds later, Takeo appeared and brandished a gun at me. I slew him. His spirit now occupies the blade." 

Katana unsheathed the sword, lay it across her knees, and regarded it. Element Girl peered at it, trying to discern anything within the light reflecting from its polished surface. But, for all she could see of it, it was only a sword. 

"If my will means anything in the great design, it will be pent there forever," said Katana. 

Finally, the Japanese Outsider resheathed the sword. A collective sigh of released breath came from the other three. Katana was finished talking. 

Urania looked at Halo. "Um, you next?" 

Halo looked back at Rainie. 

"Maybe later," she told her. 

-B- 

"Wondered when you'd be turning up," said Nightwing. 

Two-Face smiled with the more human half of his face. "I won't work with the Joker any more closely than this. Personally, I'm glad you beat him. But he did convince me that forming a backup team was a good idea. I knew you'd be able to beat him." 

The man of dual jeopardies carried two Uzis, and both were trained on Nightwing. Dick didn't feel like attempting a maneuver. Not just yet... 

Plus, of course, there was the fact that Black Mask, the King of Crime, the Spook, and Deadshot were carrying similar weaponry. Each of them could take out all the heroes...Nightwing, the old and young Robins, the Huntress, and Batgirl...just about any time they wanted to. Along with all of the hostages. 

They could even wrap it up by offing the Joker and his boys, for dessert. 

"Time to finish this operation," said Black Mask, whose face was permanently dyed black. "But, Two-Face, I adjure you and the rest: shoot for the body. Not the head. I wish to collect their masks when we are done." 

"Always some nut with an collection obsession," snapped Deadshot, behind his all-covering headmask. "I'm just damn glad you didn't bring along the Mad Hatter, too." 

"The Mad Hatter?" asked Huntress, trying to distract their attention. "You have one here, too?" 

The Spook, enshrouded in green robes, nudged the King of Crime with his elbows. "What does she mean by 'One here, too'? And who is she, anyway? And who's that old guy in a Robin suit?" 

The King of Crime, who had been far-famed years ago for defeating Batman and getting away with it before Batman tracked him down and made sure he didn't, shrugged. "Hell if I know. Maybe they're married and the kid's their son." 

Batgirl placed her hands on her hips, seemingly in exasperation, but really to get them closer to her utility bag. "Really, the lack of informedness in you so-called 'super-criminals' is no less than appalling. Haven't you ever heard of Earths One and Two? Well, it just so happens that old Robin and the Huntress, here, are from..." 

Then she had to drop to one knee, as Deadshot let off a stream of bullets that went where her head had been and spattered the wall some feet behind her. "SHUT UP!" he roared. 

"Indeed," said the King, levelling his gun. "Let us make an end to these Bat-stand-ins, for once and for all. A proper appetizer to the Big Bat himself. Ready...aim..." 

"Wait!" Two-Face pushed the Crime King's gun hand down. "This thing must be done properly. It wouldn't do to kill them in anything but the most proper and well-planned way." 

"Says who?" snapped the King. 

Two-Face caressed the middle of the King's ear with the business end of his Uzi, gently. "Says me," he said, out of the greenish-gray half of his mouth. 

The King sighed. "Ah, well, then. Protocol." 

"The time is getting late," said the Spook. "Already the police are within the building. Do what you want, Two-Face, but make it quick." 

The heroes gave sidewise glances to each other, waiting for an instant's respite. 

Two-Face put one gun in his pocket and used his right hand to caress his chin...first one side, then the other. "Now, how should this be played? We have two Robins, they could easily be knocked off first. Of course, there are two women, a pair of queens, one might say...that's an interesting motif." 

"This man is sick," whispered the Spook to Black Mask. 

"I heard that," said Two-Face. "Of course, there are two adult male crimefighters, which gives us another pairing. But...no, I have it! Yes, it's simply two divine in inspiration." 

Everyone, good guys and bad guys alike, waited for the denouement. 

"Batgirl here declared that two of these costumed catamounts are from a world called, if I remember correctly, and I think I do...Earth-Two." The grin that lit both sides of his face was terrible to behold. 

Batgirl looked at the Huntress, who looked back. "Uh-oh," said Barbara, unable to think of anything more pithy. 

"Kismet," said Black Mask. "Go ahead and do them, Face, and leave us the sloppy seconds." 

Harvey Dent turned on the Mask with an expression that said, You just don't understand. 

"The two from Earth-Two are an irresistable target," allowed Two-Face. "But there is a ceremony one must follow. If the right side comes up, the two of them are toast. If not, well, we'll make another choice and flip for that." 

"We haven't got time!" raged Deadshot. "Get out of the way and let me do these idiots!" 

This time, both the Black Mask and the King of Crime turned on Deadshot. "Don't you recall who has seniority on this team, Prince Popgun?" sneered the crowned crook. 

"Two-Face has a style which bids fair to rival my own," confirmed the Mask. "It takes little time to flip a coin. You're out of order, Deadshot." 

The gunslinging gangster swore, with great feeling. "I knew it was a mistake to come on this gig. I just knew it. If I'd only patched up things with the Penguin..." 

Despite all the comedic banter, despite all the childish rivalry, Nightwing and his band were well aware of one thing: the armament Two-Face's group carried could still open them all up like tomato cans, and 15 innocent people were still endangered as well. 

Gotham crooks might seem crazy. But they were usually deadlier than rattlesnakes. The craziness didn't help alleviate that condition. 

With a show of ceremony, Harvey Dent placed his hand in the pocket of the worn and threadbare half of his suit. 

From it, he withdrew a two-headed silver dollar. 

There had been a Two-Face on the Huntress's and old Robin's Earth, as well. They did not have to be told what the scarred side and the good side of the coin stood for. 

Death and life. 

Two-Face rested the coin, good side up, on the thumb of his clenched fist. Expertly, he flipped it. 

The silver dollar whirled upward, the twin faces on it flashing in reflected light from the overhead bulbs. 

And with all eyes on it, Nightwing pressed a button on his belt and hollered, "Wally, NOW!" 

The dollar never hit the floor. It simply seemed to vanish. 

Human eyes were too slow to catch the sight of Wally West, the newest Flash, snatching it from the air with his crimson glove. 

But Two-Face did suddenly feel two guns yanked from his hands, and looked down to see himself disarmed. 

Within instants, so did all the others, save for Deadshot, whose wrist-guns were strapped firmly to his arms. The masked gunman had terrific reflexes and sent a twin-burst of lead towards the heroes. 

Old Robin, young Robin, Nightwing, Huntress, and Batgirl had already ducked and scattered to separate parts of the room. 

The iced-in windows were smashed open in several directions by a sonic burst, a gorilla's paw, a heat blast, a wedge of crystal, a rush of dark energy, and plain old Amazonian muscle. 

Cyborg, Starfire, Kole, Jericho, Wonder Girl, Raven, a blonde girl in a red and green costume, and a green gorilla who was better known, in human form, as Changeling streamed through the windows. The Flash slowed down long enough to make himself visible, and smashed Deadshot a blow that took him out of the fight, and consciousness. 

"Titans, together!", yelled Nightwing. 

"You don't have to tell us, Batboy," said Cyborg, ratcheting back the Spook's head with a steel-fisted uppercut. 

"Oh, dear," said the King, leaping in the air as Starfire blasted a fireburst at his feet. "Oh, my." He wanted to find a place to run to, but there didn't seem to be any at the moment. 

"Oh, nuts," said Wonder Girl, and slugged him in the labonza. The King doubled up, unable to breathe. Jericho silently chopped him across the neck and sent him down. 

Black Mask found his arms bound to his sides by a band of crystal formed by the newest Titan, the girl called Kole. His feet were similarly confined, but the gorilla-Changeling picked him up by the ankles, crystal and all, upended him, and bonked his head against the floor repeatedly. 

"I think that's known as overkill," warned Kole. 

"Don't knock it," said Gar Logan. 

Of all people, the Joker was beginning to come to groggy life among the fallen first team of villains. He shook his head, looked at the carnage, and realized that Harvey the Idiot Dunce Dent had blown a perfect plan again. 

On the other hand, it was a great opportunity to get the hell out of there and plan for a comeback. This time, using regular crooks. No more funny suits to work with. With all those ego hassles, it was worse than using a rock group. 

He began to crawl away and found himself blocked by a woman's legs. 

Raven looked down at him. "Going somewhere?" 

"So are you," he said, and reached for a trigger that would send a Joker-dart full of venom into her body. 

Raven was quicker. 

The Joker's eyes went wide as something seemed to come out of her body--or perhaps it was her body, elongated and distorted somehow, into an inky-black, impenetrable shape. 

It seemed to be the shape of a big bird. 

It reached out to him, enveloped him. 

And for awhile, there was no Joker to be seen on the field of battle. 

Two-Face, for his part, was not unprepared for reverses. His hands flew to the back of his suit and pulled out two small grenades concealed there. They would be set by just the correct thumb-pressure on the buttons which protruded from their tops. He could fling them far enough away to kill some of the heroes, some of the proles, and probably some of the Joker's group as well. Not that the last effect was undesirable. In the resulting chaos, he could probably make a getaway. 

The problem, as he found out a second later, was that the blonde girl with the red mask and the red-and-yellow skintight suit had one arm in a judo hold, and she flipped him like a poker chip. 

Flash caught one of the grenades and Changeling, transformed into a cheetah, caught the second in his mouth. Neither had been triggered. 

Two-Face found himself dumped on his ass in front of Nightwing. The one-time Robin wasn't feeling very charitable. 

Before Harvey Dent could think of an appropriate insult, the head of the New Titans had hauled him up by his lapels, bashed him on the good side of his jaw with a left, and bashed him on the bad side with a right. 

Two-Face went down. He didn't even take a two-count. 

Massaging his knuckles, Dick Grayson said, "Just couldn't resist using the old one-two...Face." 

Old Robin said, "Looks like the puns don't get any better on this Earth than mine." He clapped his counterpart on the shoulder. "Well done, brother." 

"You, too, brother," said Nightwing, and clasped his hand. 

Young Robin, Jason Todd, looked up at them. "Gee," he said. "I know I'm just starting out here, but..." 

Both Dick Graysons put one hand apiece on Jason's shoulders and grasped one of his hands with their other mitts. "Just like we did, kid," said Nightwing. 

"And you did really fine," said Old Robin. "Take it from Robin Number One." 

"Gosh," said Jason. It seemed profound enough, so he said it again. 

The girl in red and yellow had gone to check on Batgirl and Huntress. "Hi," she said, smiling. "We've never met, Batgirl, but I couldn't pass up the chance to help the Titans on this one when I got wind of it." 

Batgirl's eyes widened in recognition. "You're...why, you're Bat-Girl! Oh, good grief." She laughed. "Honey, we've never met, but I hope you don't mind me appropriating the name. I knew you had it first." 

The Huntress was registering shock. The blonde heroine noticed it, and asked, "Something wrong, Miss..." 

"Uh, the Huntress. I'm the Huntress. From Earth-Two." She stuck out a hand, gingerly. "Pleased to meet you, uh, Bat-Girl?" 

Shaking Helena's hand and smiling, she said, "I don't call myself that anymore. After all, this Batgirl's been using it well enough as it is. I talked to Nightwing on the phone some time back after he changed his name and kinda had a skull-session with him about what I should call myself, if I ever came out of retirement. He said he'd taken the Nightwing name from a guy in Kandor, that little bottle city of Superman's. Turned out that Nightwing had a partner named Flamebird. Neither one of them's on Earth right now, so, since they were kind of a Batman and Robin copy, I thought, 'Hey, why not?' So now...I've got a new costume, and I call myself Flamebird." 

"That's very nice," said the Huntress, still holding her hand. "That's very, very nice. Well, I'm the, uh, daughter of the Batman and Catwoman of my Earth. I'm pleased to meet you. Very pleased." 

Flamebird raised her eyebrows. "Something wrong, honey? Did you get hurt in the fight?" 

"No, no, everything's fine," the Huntress said. "I'm just fine. Come on, let's get these hostages up and out of here." 

Batgirl and Flamebird both exchanged glances of mutual confusion. 

Then they went to help the Huntress. 

-B- 

In the cockpit of the Batplane, Batman spoke into the intercom mike. "Geo, will you come take the pilot's seat for a moment, please? Nature calls." 

He heard the Creeper laughing. Well, what the hell. 

Geo-Force entered the cockpit area. "You are indisposed, friend Batman? We are only an hour away from our destination." 

"Won't take that long, I promise," said Batman. He stood up, having put the plane on autopilot, and let Brion take the pilot's seat. Without a word, he passed through the doors into the seating area of the plane. 

The Creeper had thought about making a bathroom wisecrack at Batman's expense, then, seeing him, withdrew the offer. Plastic Man had turned his face into Richard Nixon's and was doing a Dwight Frye routine for Looker, who was screeching with laughter. He passed all of them by, without speaking. 

King Faraday looked at him idly from his place in the last seat, waved with one hand, and went back to looking out the window. 

Batman barrelled into him like a land shark. 

The trenchcoated spy found himself jammed against the window and seat, his arms pinned to the wall by the Dark Knight, who wasn't looking very happy at all. 

The other heroes turned their heads towards the two in amazement. 

"I've got some questions," said the Batman, holding back great anger. "You'd better give me the best answers you've ever given in your life." 

To be continued...   
  



	11. Chapter 11

bato11a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 11 

by DarkMark 

Alfred watched Hecate scarf up the last joint of meat, which put the great cat inside of his holding cage. With a sigh of relief, he pushed the bars down and locked them in place with a lever. In the future, he hoped Mistress Selina would donate the panther to a zoo. 

Batwoman and the Cat King were finishing with the binding and gagging of the Cobra Cult attack squad. One of the hoods had a tourniquet about his arm, where it had been cut by Karl Kyle's catarang. It was as good as Alfred could do under the circumstances. At any rate, the Cultists had invaded the Batcave and, in his opinion, deserved everything they had suffered for it. 

Selina was back in her cot, to which Karl had carried her after she had loosed Hecate. The sensors hadn't yet been reconnected to her body. There was so much to do... 

Wearily, the old butler looked at the scene. The Batcave and its equipment were largely intact, but twelve men can't make an invasion without causing some damage. If only Master Bruce wasn't out of the country. 

If only he was there with his wife. 

"I must make a few calls," he said. "Dr. Dundee must be summoned for the wounded miscreant, and to check on Mistress Selina. Also, these others must be attended to." 

Karl Kyle looked at Alfred. "Like how? These guys have to know, now, that your Bruce Wayne is Batman." 

Alfred said, "In such cases, we call upon the services of Green Lantern to erase the knowledge from their minds. He is very efficient. First, though, let me see to the mistress." 

Selina Kyle shifted in her cot as Alfred approached. "I think I'm all right, Alfred. Just a little tired. That action took a lot out of me, I'm sorry to say." 

The King of the Cats left the captives and walked quickly over to Selina's bedside. Alfred was already replacing a sensor sleeve about her right arm. "Selina," said Karl. "Words fail me. I know you're not my sister. But, my God, you look so much like her. You are so much like her. And you're alive." 

"For the most part, at any rate," smiled Selina. Alfred was replacing some wire-connected pads on her abdomen. "Glad you and the Batwoman managed to make that cavalry charge, or we'd both be goners." 

Batwoman was at her side. "Don't even talk like that, Selina. After so many of our friends have died on our Earth, I'm not eager for any of you on this world to pass on. Congratulations on your marriage, by the way." 

Selina looked sad. "Yeah. Thanks." 

"I have to admit that I was a bit devastated when our Bruce married our Selina, instead of me," Kathy admitted. "But, after all, they'd had a thing going for a lot longer than he'd known me. I'm happy with the man I've got now, anyway." 

"You're married?" said Selina. 

Batwoman nodded. "To Tony Gordon. The son of the late Commissioner." 

"Oh," said Selina. She tried to put on a smile fast enough to cover her startled reaction. But Batwoman saw it. So did Karl. 

The older woman in yellow and red broke the silence. "Tony must be dead over here. He is, isn't he?" 

"Yes," said Selina. "God help me, this stuff stinks." 

Karl nodded. "Whenever we cross over Earths, we're always visiting ghosts." 

Alfred checked the readings. His eyes narrowed for an instant. Luckily, he had his back to the others. Turning, he said, "If the two of you will keep Mistress Selina and our prisoners company, I shall attend to things." 

Batwoman smiled. "Go ahead, Alfred. It's good to see you back." 

For a second, he looked into her eyes. He didn't have to ask the question. Her tone told him what he needed to know. The Alfred of her world had to be dead, as well. 

****** 

King Faraday was anything but a wimp. He had been a secret agent since the Kennedy administration. He'd fought his way out of dozens of trouble spots, with fists, feet, weapons, and wits. In the service of his country, he had killed enemy agents. He was, by any objective estimation, a dangerous man. 

But the Batman held him pinned to a cockpit wall like a human forklift, and he was barely able to move. 

"Bats, what in the--what are you talking about?", sputtered Faraday. "Aren't we both on the same side, fa'chrissakes?" 

"Not hardly," grated Batman. "How did they turn you, King? What did they do to you? And who did it?" 

The Creeper shoved his face close to Batman's, looking concerned. "Bats, are you poundin' on all cylinders? What gives?" 

"Faraday," said Batman, adjusting his grip. "He'd better give with all the info I want, and then some." 

"Are you crazy?" snapped Faraday. "That Catwoman thing got your mask pulled too tight? Let up, and we can talk." 

Looker was moving towards them, nervously, but Plastic Man snaked out an elongated arm and stopped her. "It's okay, honey," he said. "I'm wise. Batman's told me." 

"Told you what?" asked Lia. "Batman, what are you--" 

"Shut up," snapped the masked man. "You must have wanted me to find you out, down inside, King. You must really have wanted it." 

Nobody said a word for a few seconds. 

"Should I spell it out for you?" continued Batman. "Your cover story was tissue paper. Wet tissue paper. You said that a Cobra Cultist told you with his dying breath about a plot of Kobra's. Wrong. The Cultists are loyal. They die before divulging information willingly. Especially something as high-stakes as you were talking about." 

Faraday said, with a trace of annoyance, "The guy was checkin' out, Bats. Kobra was threatening the whole world, and the guy wanted to make good." 

"Kobra's been threatening the whole world for years, Faraday." There was no forgiveness in Batman's eyes. "Plastic Man's in the intelligence community, too. With my connections and his, we checked your story. Yes, there was an agent killed in Pakistan. You were one of the closest ops your agency had to investigate it. It was to sucker you in. But we contacted your superior. No reported death of a Cobra Cultist. You didn't call home base afterwards, or file a report. Standard operating procedure after such a mission. You know that. I know it, too." 

Faraday didn't say anything. Batman's grip on his body was becoming painful. 

"The timing," said Batman. "It was all too pat. Selina Kyle gets hit. We go after the assassin. We eliminate Ra's Al Ghul as a suspect--for now. We go after Kobra. You turn up with a story about Kobra. Too pat. Too coincidental. What did he do to you, King? How were you turned?" 

"Get your damn hands off me!" yelled Faraday. "I tell you, we're on the same side, you idiot!" 

Batman, without turning his head, said, "Looker." 

The woman stepped closer. "Yes, Batman?" 

"I want you to probe Mr. Faraday's mind. Be careful. He's a master hypnotist, and I don't want him turning you, as well." 

King considered bringing his knee up, but decided against it. He also couldn't get to his gun, the way he was held. There was a chance he could head-butt Batman, but that'd give him away. If he could resist this broad with the blue eye makeup, maybe that'd convince Batman that he was on the straight. 

At any rate, he couldn't afford to betray Kobra. 

It was amazing, how his point of view had changed. Just a little dip in the Pit, and he'd come to appreciate the boss in a totally different way... 

Looker stared into Faraday's face. He tried to turn his eyes away, tried to turn his head, but Batman grabbed his chin in one powerful hand. "Look at her," he said, "or I'll break your jaw." 

Almost involuntarily, he glanced at her. 

That was all it took. 

Lia Briggs's psi-powers probed into King Faraday's mind. She did feel his resistance, and felt him trying to snare her mind with his own hypnotic talent. But Faraday's powers were only human. Hers were so much more. 

The spy cried out in pain. It was as if someone had inserted a fist into the center of his brain. 

"I'm getting something," she said. "He's under control. Not continuous, but his brain patterns have been altered." 

"How?" said Batman. 

Looker exerted more of her power. "Tell us, Mr. Faraday," she said. 

Faraday's jaws locked. He began to thrash in Batman's grip. "Creeper, Plas," said Batman. 

"Righto," said the Creeper, and moved to backstop Batman's hold, pinning Faraday's left hand and foot with his own slim, powerful body. 

Plastic Man merely insinuated himself between Batman and the spy and wrapped himself about Faraday like a red-clad constrictor and held him firmly. The captive was starting to convulse. A slight bit of blood dripped from one of his nostrils. 

"Be careful, Looker," said Batman. "Possible cerebral damage." 

"Do you want me to stop?" 

"No." 

A few seconds later, King Faraday screamed and went unconscious. Looker slumped to her knees, in connected empathy. Plastic Man stretched out a limb to support her, under her arms. She drew a deep breath and let it out. 

"I can handle him, Creeper," said Batman, holding the limp Faraday. 

"If you say so, Bats," the Creeper replied, and stepped back, warily. 

Plastic Man unwrapped himself quickly from Faraday and resumed his normal shape, helping Looker back to her feet. Geo-Force's voice came from the intercom: "Is everything being all right back there, friend Batman?" 

"We're fine, Geo," he replied. "Looker. What did you get from him?" 

Lia ran a hand through her hair. "I think...the pertinent images...were these. I saw him in a fight with some Cobra Cultists. He got taken, evidently. Then he saw Kobra, and some others. At least one woman, probably Eve, Kobra's mistress. Plus a bunch of Cultists. There was some seething liquid that he was lowered into. He fought to try and keep out of it, but he just couldn't." 

"The Lazarus Pit," said Batman, quietly. "I suspected as much. It made him a mind-slave, just like Melissa McNeil. Kobra turned King into a Judas goat." 

Looker said, "I saw some others King was with. The ones who were supposed to trap us." 

"Who?" 

She told him. 

"I should have guessed," Batman replied. "I'm taking King to the brig. Once this is finished, he's going back to the States with us for treatment." 

The Creeper thought about saying, "If any of us live long enough to get him back there." 

But he didn't. 

-B- 

Element Girl had finally asked Halo about her origin. The blonde girl with the blue and red streak in her hair had brightened and said, "Well, gosh, Rainie, for the longest time I didn't even have an origin!" 

Tatsu sighed. "She means she did not know about it. For a long time, Gabrielle was amnesiac." 

Halo bit her lip. Rainie Blackwell turned to Katana and said, "I'm sure Gabby can tell me her story on her own. Go ahead, honey." 

Gabrielle Doe smiled again. "Well, this body's name...I guess you could kind of say, my name...used to be Violet Harper. Violet used to live in Arlington, Missouri, and her parents were named Sam and Margaret. I'm pretty sure her parents were really good to her. But Violet was kinda...well, kinda mean. I mean, I think she was, because of what they told me she did." 

"What did she do, Gabby?" asked El Girl. 

Halo hugged herself, visibly uneasy. "She met this boy named Mark Dunninger. Violet wanted like poison to get out of Arlington, 'cause she thought it was a 'one-horse town'. Well, there weren't really any horses in it, but you know what I mean. So one night both of 'em got on Mark's motorcycle and took off down Route 44. That's a highway, you know. 

"What they...what they found, about an hour down the road, was this burning wrecked car. There was this guy trapped inside of it, too. Mark and Violet stopped the 'cycle and looked at it. The guy told 'em to help him. They...they didn't see why they should. I think maybe they could have, but the guy was too busted up to help himself." Gabrielle's fingernails were pressing into her palms. "Really, this body was pretty mean to do that. I mean, it really was. 

"So the guy in the car told 'em he could make it worth their while to help him, and he was talkin' really fast, y'know, cause, like, the fire in the engine was spreading. They asked how, and he said there was something in his briefcase that was worth a whole bunch of money. So they said, let's see the briefcase and we'll see if it's worth saving you for. So he handed it over. I mean, like, if he'd had more time, I'm sure he would'a bargained better. Maybe not just handed it over like that. But he had to get 'em to help right then, or he was a goner." 

Halo was silent for a moment. Urania said, "And did they help him?" 

Exhaling, Gabrielle said, "No. No, they didn't. They took the briefcase and let him die. That was an evil, evil thing to do. Gosh, I hate this body sometimes for having done it." 

"It was not the body that did it, Gabrielle," said Tatsu. "It was the mind which occupied the body that did that. The body is guiltless, and now you occupy it. Therefore there is no reason to hate it." 

"Well, I know that, Tatsu, but just the same," said Halo. "The two of them knocked over a few places after that, a liquor store and a 7-11 or two, and they got enough money together to buy a couple of tickets to Paris. They didn't go right then, but they figured they'd be safer there than in the States. All the time, Mr. and Mrs. Harper were going crazy worrying about Violet. I 'magine Margaret had to be sedated or something, and I bet this body didn't even care. That's how bad it was. 

"But they needed money to live on. They'd taken a look in the briefcase and found what was in it. It was a formula for a really, really addictive drug. More addictive than heroin, but a better high. I mean, I don't know, I've never taken drugs. I think this body might have, but I never did. 

"They'd heard about a group called the 100, which is a big crime syndicate kinda like the Mafia, only not so discriminatory. They take all kinds of people, not just Sicilians, and they're more into science and supercrime along with the street-level stuff. I guess if you have to be a criminal organization, it's better to do it like that. Even though it's still evil. So anyway, they found out how to get ahold of this guy, Tobias Whale, on the phone. Tobias was like this big, big guy in the 100, which was going to buy the drug formula from the guy who got burned up in the car. And Mark told him they had the formula and they'd sell it to Tobias. And Tobias said, 'Give me back the formula and I won't kill you.' 

"But Mark didn't believe him when he said that. Because he figured Tobias would just take the formula and kill them both. So he hung up and said, 'Honey, we're going to Paris after all.' And they got back on the motorcycle, went to the nearest airport, and got away. Tobias just about caught them, but he was too late. 

"So they were over there, with the Eiffel Tower and the Arch of Triumph and all that. And Paris looks really nice, I know, 'cause I've been there, too. But their money was running out. Especially when they were spending some of it on drugs. So Violet goes, 'Why should we spend money on drugs when we can get somebody to make this stuff from the formula and make money from drugs ourselves?' And she figures that two people don't have to be in on this. So she helped Mark shoot up one night, but she put a lot more of the stuff into the shot than Mark could handle. He's really strung out on the floor, and she just packs up her bag, takes the formula, and leaves. Like I said, this body was really, really bad. 

"But Tobias had hired this woman, who was a killer named Syonide, to track both of them down, kill 'em, and get his formula back. She found Mark, learned about what Violet had done, and saw him die. Then she went after Violet. 

"She found Violet in Markovia. Yeah, that Markovia, the one Brion's a prince of. Synoide had a shoot-out with Violet, and Violet lost. And she died." 

Element Girl said, "She died? I mean, you...your body is dead?" 

Halo shrugged. "It used to be. 

"But now I've got to tell you about me. I mean, the real me. I only found out about the real me a long time after I joined the Outsiders. See, I used to be an Aurikle. I know that sounds like, y'know, the Oracle of Delphi, but it's spelled different, A-U-R-I-K-L-E, not O-R-A-C-L-E. Aurikles are like, globes of energy, kind of on a light wavelength, and they're mostly imperceptible to material beings. They go around gathering knowledge, and when one of 'em gets all the knowledge they can handle, it splits into two, like an amoeba. Then the two of 'em go off to get some more knowledge, and that's how it goes. 

"And me, I liked living things. The other Aurikles went around studying the stars and such, but I was hooked on animals and plants and such. Especially animals that are like humans. I mean, they have a social organization that's even more complex than ants or bees or amoebas. That's really, really interesting." 

Element Girl said, "Amoebas? I never knew they had a social life." 

"Have you ever been an amoeba?" 

"Well, no, not to the best of my knowledge." 

"Well, then. Here's what happened. All the planets in this solar system got in line. Just like a military drill instructor was tellin' 'em, 'Ten-Hut!' That made a flux of forces that most of you humans never even knew about. And at just that moment, Synoide killed Violet Harper. And I was hangin' around, and I saw it. I was thinking, 'Gee, what an awful thing,' 'cause, like, I didn't know about all the stuff she'd done just then. And I thought, 'What if I could help her?' 

"I must've wanted it so badly that the force-flux shot me out of where I was watching from, and right into her body, like a pea squirtin' out from a pod. I really did. I was in Violet's body. But it was going to kill me if I didn't do something really fast. 

"So I managed to make the body pop out the bullet. That was really hard. Even harder was reconstructing the heart and all that, closing up the wound, making the blood liquid again, making the brain function and all. I mean, I'm sure they make jokes about me not making the brain function enough. But really, I did repair it. I even made this costume I'm wearing, which is colored sort of like an Aurikle. And by the time I was through, this body was a going concern again. But Violet's mind, or soul, or whatever, had passed beyond. I was the only proprietor now. 

"The whole thing gave me amnesia, like. When I woke up, Synoide was gone. She'd left me for dead, which I was, for a while. And the first thing I saw was Batman. He was in Markovia, trying to save his friend. He scared me, with that creepy costume of his, and I was thinking, I guess, about Syonide, subconsciously. So I hit him with this halo-power of mine. The orange one. I was trying to drive him away, but I was too weak, and I fell, and he caught me. I asked him not to hurt me, and I'll never forget what he said to me. He said, 'If I wanted to hurt you, we wouldn't be talking.' From him, that was very nice. 

"I didn't know much about the halo-power. Batman and I learned about it together, and we teamed up with Tatsu and Rex and Brion and Lightning to fight Baron Bedlam and all that, and we won, and then Rex came up with the Outsiders name, and that was that. But the halo-power is, like, it comes from the union of me and this body. And there's a lot of different halo-powers." 

"I know some of them," said Element Girl. "The orange one is your force-blast, the red one is heat, the green one's a stasis beam, and so on." 

"Yeah, and the yellow's a blinding light beam, the blue one distorts your vision, the indigo one is a tractor beam...I mean, it pulls things like a real tractor, but it doesn't plow fields or anything..." 

Rainie couldn't hold back her snickers. 

Halo smiled. "All right, I know it doesn't come out right all the time when I say things. But you know what I mean. Then there's the violet one, which we haven't figured out all the way. The reason we haven't is that I didn't use it way-back-when, because, you know, this body's name used to be Violet. So subconsciously I was holding back, like. I didn't know who I was, or what I was, but I was an Outsider, and I had friends like Tatsu here--" Halo hugged Katana with one arm. "--And Brion, and Rex, and Lia, and even Batman. So I helped 'em fight bad guys, which I thought was a good thing to do." 

"Well, it is a good thing to do, Halo," said Element Girl. "How did you become Gabrielle Doe?" 

"Well, at first they called me 'Jane Doe', which is like 'John Doe', and I suppose that's like 'John Deere,' which is the guy who makes all those tractors. But he doesn't have a tractor beam. Anyway, I thought Doe was okay, like in that song, 'Doe, a female deer', and all that. But I didn't like 'Jane', so I searched thru a book of names that Bruce gave me, and I found Gabrielle and liked it. So I picked it, and that was that. I started rooming with Tatsu here, and we get along really well. Don't we, Tatsu?" 

"Absolutely," said Katana, imperturbably. 

"But Batman wanted to help me find out who I was. And he did. He tracked down who this body was, and I went back...to its parents. They were...they were really nice people, Rainie. And then, oh, God..." She put her face in her hands. 

Tatsu and Rainie went to comfort her. My God, thought Element Girl, this happens so often during these stories. Maybe I'd be better off not asking for them in the first place. 

"It's all right, Gabrielle," said Katana, holding her young friend. "You don't have to say anything more. It's all right." 

"Syonide found me again," said Halo. "I'd gone back to live with Mr. and Mrs. Harper. And...she...killed them." 

"It's okay, Gabby," said Urania, wrapping her two differently-colored arms about Halo and Katana. "Please, don't say any more. Just calm down." 

"No," said Halo, sighing and sniflling. "No, I'll be all right. I...oh, God, I wish somebody didn't have to get killed every time one of us gets to be a hero. It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens too much. 

"Anyway, I went back to the Outsiders, and Dr. Jace gave me a treatment, and I remembered how I'd been an Aurikle and all that. And the Aurikles tried to take me back, but Katana and the boys rescued me. So here I am. And I'm really, really glad that I'm with you all, instead of being some ball of light in space, or a body that killed somebody and let somebody else die." 

Metamorpho said, "We're glad you're with us, too, Halo. And don't you ever forget it." 

Nobody could think of anything else to say, so they said nothing. Then Black Lightning's voice was heard on the intercom. 

"Listen up, people," said Jeff Pierce. "Just got a message from Batman. It seems Kobra has a little welcoming party for us." 

-B- 

Dr. Dundee had finished his examination of Selina Wayne. "You'll have to move her from the Batcave, you know," he said to Alfred, who was alone with him in the Wayne Manor library. "If they can pull a stunt like that, it's just not safe enough for her." 

"I understand, Doctor," said Alfred, looking very tired. "But I will have to consult with the Master as to where he wants Mistress Selina taken." 

"You've made arrangements about the others?" 

"Yes. I've contacted the League. Green Lantern has promised to pick them up." He paused. "Doctor. I wish to hear of Mistress Selina's condition." 

Dundee looked at him. "You mustn't tell anyone but Bruce. Not even Selina must know." 

The butler said nothing. 

"She's been making an apparent recovery," said Dundee. "But it's not going to be enough. If the antidote to this specific poison is not found within ten days, the tissue damage will be irreversible. Within two weeks, well..." He looked at the table, so as not to see Alfred's eyes. 

"Tell me, Doctor," said Alfred. 

"Within two weeks, without the antidote, Mrs. Wayne will be dead." 

To be continued...   



	12. Chapter 12

bato12a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 12 

by DarkMark 

Alfred debated himself about two minutes before going to the grandfather clock, pressing a hidden catch, and swinging it away from the doorway behind it. "Wait here," he told Dr. Dundee. 

"Remember, Alfred," said Dundee. "Not even Mrs. Wayne must know." 

The butler nodded once, stepped down, and shut the door behind him. 

His steps clacked on the stairway winding down to the Batcave. If any had been there to see his face, they would have possibly detected an ashen tone in it. But he kept his features immobile, as much as possible. 

A voice. "Alfred. Is that you?" 

"It's me, Mistress Selina," said Pennyworth, moving briskly down the last few steps. "Please excuse me for a moment, I must check in with Master Bruce." 

He caught sight of her then, in her hospital cot, the feeds for the instruments dangling from her right arm and leg. Karl Kyle and Batwoman were sitting near her, in two folding chairs. An Andrew Greeley novel lay open on the bedside table. She still looked lovely, holding court in her white gown with the artificial leopard trim. She smiled and waved to him. He nodded, brusquely. Selina Wayne looked after him as he went to the radio board at the other end of the Batcave. "What's eating him?" 

Batwoman glanced at Alfred. "He's probably just under a lot of strain, dear. Which is understandable. After all, what with you getting attacked twice on the premises, it's enough to give anyone the jitters." 

Karl looked at the butler, then back at Selina. "So tell me, Selina. What was our sister like?" 

Selina said, "I already told you, Kyle. She didn't like to help around Daddy's pet shop. She got into trouble too often, and when Dad died, she ran off and I didn't see her very often before she died." 

The King of the Cats placed his ungloved hand on Selina's wrist. "But there's more than that. There has to be more than that." 

Batwoman looked at him thoughtfully. "I think Karl wants to hear about the positives, dear. Was she pretty?" 

"Oh, yes," said Selina, warming to the topic. "Very pretty. A better cook than I was, and a darn good skater. I may be a good dancer, but I can't skate worth a darn. She never learned how to fall down, either on blades or rollers. Me, I wanted to have a pillow grafted to my butt whenever I laced a pair up." 

Karl chuckled. "That's nice. I don't think Selina...my Selina...ever skated much, but she was a great swimmer. Not bad for a Catwoman, eh?" 

"I can swim, too, Karl." Selina paused. "Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? I'm a trifle warm." 

Kathy Kane glanced at the Cat King. Then she said, "You're right, Selina, it is a little warm in here. Wouldn't expect that in a cave, would you? I'll have Alfred bring a fan over." 

"Yes, it is rather hot," said Karl, pushing his mask back onto his shoulders and then rolling up his sleeves. He hoped he wouldn't get gooseflesh from the cold and give the ruse away to Selina. "Wonder if you could answer a question for me." 

"Sure," said Selina. "Anything. Just about." 

"Were you ever married before?" 

"No," she said. "Not hardly. Not ever. Why? Was your sister married? I mean, before marrying her Bruce." 

Karl nodded, sadly. "Yeah. To a Park Avenue swell named Darrel Richards. He looked like just the ticket to Selina, so she married him. A short time after that, she found out about his drinking...and about getting beaten up." 

Selina sat up in bed, astonished. "You mean your Selina was a...that her first husband beat her?" 

Batwoman said, "I didn't know about it myself for years, Selina. One day, years after the wedding, she up and told me about it. I couldn't believe it myself. But it was true." 

"Oh, God," said Selina, holding her head between her hands. "I thought I'd had it rough, but that...nobody ever beat me. I wouldn't have let 'em." 

Karl replied, "I'm damned glad of that. I didn't know it at the time, or I would've tried to whip his ass, money and all. But Selina covered it up. She wanted to be a good wife, and if being a good wife and having his money meant getting beaten, she thought she'd take it...at least, at first." 

"That's horrible, Kyle," she said. "That's so horrible." 

"It was. About the time I was noticing so many bruises on her for so often and finally putting it together, Selina finally split. She divorced him. He didn't like that. He used his connections all through Gotham to make sure she couldn't get a job, couldn't get a man, couldn't get much of anything. Our folks were gone by then, I was in an orphanage. She was out on the street. And this was at the tail end of the Depression. 

"One of the guys she met along the way was a second story man...what you'd call a cat burglar. She took up with him, just for a couple of months, and learned the trade from him. Then she broke off with him, broke into Richards's place, cracked his safe, and stole the jewels back he'd bought for her, along with a bunch of money. Thousands, just petty cash to Richards. She left a note signed 'The Cat', just like out of a cheap mystery. That was in 1938. Sel found something she was good at, so she kept on being a thief. 

"Then, two years later, she met up with Batman, who nabbed her trying to pull another heist on a sea liner. She was disguised as an old lady. Seeing the Batman and Robin, it gave her ideas. Before long, she was in costume, called herself the Catwoman. Was that the way it was for you, Selina?" 

She nodded. "That incident was just about the same. This parallel worlds stuff is scary." 

"It is," said Batwoman. "You don't know how much you're going to be like somebody on the other world, and how much you're going to differ. Plus it can do strange things to your sense of individuality. I don't really like it." 

"Neither do I," said Selina. "Go ahead, Karl." 

He shrugged. "Well, after she put on the mask and dress, she had the requisite Gotham criminal career, except she never killed. But she had a thing for Batman, and he had one for her, too, even though both of them tried to deny it. It went on for a long, long time. Mostly she escaped Batman, or faked her death, but she got caught a few times and spent some time in the joint. And there I was on the outside, the Catwoman's brother, trying to go to school and make something of myself, but she was getting a bunch of headlines by being a beautiful crook. 

"Then she decided to go straight. She saved Batman from getting killed by a bunch of falling bricks, took a pretty good clout herself, and faked amnesia when she woke up. She didn't want to tell him about her first husband, or being a battered wife, so she pretended she'd been a stewardess for an airline. She made out like she didn't remember any of her career as the Catwoman, even acted scared when Batman showed her a newsreel of one of her old robberies. It was the only way she knew of turning over a new leaf without maybe having to go to the joint again. 

"The weird bit is, Batman bought into it. He didn't even check out her story. She didn't specify which airline she worked for, but he could have checked into reports of plane crashes from the time, gotten the on-duty lists for them, found out she was never on board a plane that crashed and gave her amnesia. It was like she told me, later: he wanted to believe she was a good woman, underneath it all. And so did she." 

Selina nodded, silently. 

Karl continued. "So she went straight, started working with Batman and Commissioner Gordon. That was when I got out of school, couldn't find a job. I started thinking about how easy she had it now...her own business, publicity, and all the rest. She didn't get to keep the loot from her old heists anymore, though. Sel offered me a job helping out in the store. I told her I had a better idea. I was going to take her old job. That's when I had this costume made. I called myself the King of the Cats, started pulling jobs just like she used to, cat-motifs and all. Before long, I ran into Sel, her boyfriend, and Robin. Just like I figured, she helped me get away. Bats thought I was her lover, and she didn't know he didn't know I was her brother. 

"Anyway, after awhile, Batman and I got into a big knock-down at the Gotham Zoo, and we fell into separate tiger cages. The cats didn't like being disturbed, and I don't blame 'em, but both of us were about to get turned into steak tartare. Selina was outside with a gun that had one trank pellet in it. It was a real lady-and-the-tiger bit, only neither one of us was a lady and there was more than one tiger. 

"So Sel did the bravest thing I'd ever seen. She shot the trank pellet at the tiger in my cage and knocked it out. Then she went into Batman's cage and pulled a real Clyde Beatty. She took that cat-o'-nine-tails out of her waistband and snapped it and backed that damn tiger away. I mean, she was really in charge! She and Batman managed to get out of there, and got me out of my cage, too. 

"Right about then, there wasn't anything else I could do. I mean, she'd showed me how much she cared for me, like I didn't know already, and she showed me that she had a hell of a lot more guts than I did, facing down that big striped cat. Plus she really showed me how much she cared for Batman. So I told her that, as far as I was concerned, she could tell me what to do. She told me to give myself up, throw myself on the mercy of the court, and go straight. So I did. 

"As it turned out, both she and Batman spoke up for me at the trial, and I only did a few months in stir. She promised that if I kept my nose clean, she'd get me enough money to get me through college. And she did. She borrowed it from Bruce Wayne, but she didn't tell me at the time. I studied accounting, got my degree, got to be a CPA, turned into a stand-up guy. I even got a few news stories afterwards--'Catwoman's brother goes straight,' and all. Got married, had kids. You know the drill. 

"The bit was, Selina wasn't satisfied. Batman still wasn't committing to her, 'cause he was afraid of settling down. I think that was the real reason she went back to being a crook for awhile, to get his attention again, and maybe so's she wouldn't have to put up with all those customers in her pet shop that wanted to see her just because she'd been the Catwoman. Plus she got mad at a newspaper story that showed how many times she'd gotten bollixed in the past by Batman. 

"So she went back to the life for a little while. She pulled three big jobs, ran into Batman every time, and he had to nab her, because that's what he did. All the time, I think he was cursing himself for not marrying her when he had the chance. Maybe she was, too. 

"In the third case, she gave Bats and Robin a way to get out of a trap, but she got away from them. A few weeks after that, I got a call from her at work. She hadn't called me since she went back to being a crook, but she did then. It was collect, from another country, and that cost a lot back then. But I didn't mind." 

"What did she say?," asked Selina, who thought that she could guess the answer. 

"She said that she wanted to come home, that she was tired of being a thief, that she wanted to see me again. And that maybe if she got her stuff together and went on the straight and narrow again, she might be able to make Batman care about her again. I told her I didn't know about that, but I did care about her, and I wanted her back home. 

"So we worked out a deal with Commissioner Gordon. She came back to the States in disguise, but she'd told me what plane she'd be on, and to be there with the commish and the cops, and she'd surrender. Batman turned up, too, with Robin. We met the plane, and there she was, in a red wig and sunglasses. She came over to us, hugged me, kissed me on the cheek, then took off her wig and cheaters and went over to Batman, Robin, and Gordon. There were a few newsies there, and they were popping off flashbulbs. They just stood there, looking at each other. She told him hello. And he said, 'It's good to see you back, Selina.' 

"The way he said it, we both knew he still cared about her. So she gave him a big smile. For a second, he gave her one back. Then she held out her hands, and the Commish put some cuffs on her, and the cops herded her away. Some of the newsies asked her what she was going to do after she got out, but she didn't answer them. 

"I went to see her in the joint. It darn near cut my heart out to see her in those prison greys, but she was bearing up. She was glad to see me, you can bet, and she talked about starting up life in another city, changing her name and all, trying to forget about Batman. But I could tell that wasn't going to happen, at least not the last part. And I knew she was never going back to being a crook. 

"Then Batman ran into a problem with one of his old enemies. The Scarecrow. You have one of him over here, too?" 

Selina nodded. "Sure do. Dick and his friends just took him and some others down." 

"Anyway, he fed Batman some gas that made him unable to see, hear, smell, or even know his best friends were around him. He couldn't see Robin, Kathy here, or anybody he'd known that well...even Superman. Am I right, Kathy?" 

Batwoman nodded. "It was eerie. I touched him, called out to him, tried to stop him with my batrope, but it was as if I wasn't there to him. He couldn't see Dick, or Gordon, or Linda Page, or anyone else he'd been close to. The Scarecrow's gas really messed with his mind." 

Selina stirred in her bed. "So what happened next?" 

Karl said, "He called up the warden of Gotham State and got in to see Selina. He was gambling that he could still perceive her, and he was right. He offered her a chance to get out of the joint for awhile and help him bring down the Scarecrow. She didn't want to put her old outfit on again, but she'd never turn him down. That night, Batman and Catwoman were a team again. 

"She finally owned up that she'd been lying about the amnesia thing, and she broke down and told him about her first marriage, about having been abused, and about how she really became the Cat. He told her about how his parents had been murdered when he was a kid, and that's why he became the Batman. They ended up in each other's arms, after that." 

Selina said nothing, but he could tell she was holding back tears. 

"Well, Selina took a shot of fear-gas too, and both of them helped each other through it. What finally worked for them was taking off their masks in front of each other. That was when she first learned that Batman was Bruce Wayne. After that, they...I guess they made love. And after that, they didn't have anything much to fear. 

"They nabbed the Scarecrow not long after that, and Sel had to go back to the joint. But the governor gave her a pardon about a month afterward, and Bruce and I were there to meet her when she got out. I didn't know why Bruce was there, but when she took him in her arms, I figured it out. Not long after that, they got married, and they had Helena, and he took me into confidence and told me he was Batman. I knew that already, but I didn't let on." 

Batwoman added, "The wedding was where I first met Tony Gordon. He was Jim Gordon's son, but he didn't live in Gotham. We started hitting it off, and we promised to see each other again. And we did. I may have been on the rebound, after seeing Bruce get married, but I think I made the right choice." 

"You did, Kathy," said Selina. "That may be why you're here today, and our Kathy...well...she isn't." 

"Anyway, there were a lot of good years after that," said Karl. "Over twenty, to be exact. Our kids grew up, Jim Gordon died, and Bruce slacked off on being Batman. Then...you really want to hear the rest of it, Selina?" 

She swallowed. "I think I know it. I was told, by Helena. Is it...getting warm in here again?" 

"It may be," said Karl. "It may be." He and Batwoman shot a glance towards Alfred. He nodded. 

Karl turned back to Helena. "Yes. Selina was blackmailed into becoming Catwoman again by one of her old gang. He claimed she'd accidentally killed a man, that he'd reveal it if she didn't help him on a job. So--" 

"So he did, and she had a fall during it," said Selina. "And she died, with her Batman there to watch it. Yes. I know." 

"It cut my heart out," said Karl, slowly. "It cut my heart out." 

"That was why," said Kathy, "that was why Helena became the Huntress. She captured the man who caused Selina's death. That was why Bruce quit being the Batman. Why he ran for police commissioner, since Jim had been dead some years, and got the job. We tried to talk to him then, tried to comfort him, but he put us off. Even Dick. He only put on the Batman costume once more--and that was the day he died." 

After a silence, Karl said, "We're the only ones left now. Kathy and I, Dick and Helena. There isn't another Catwoman. There isn't another Batman. Except here, on this Earth." 

Selina Kyle didn't say anything. 

She was hoping that history wouldn't repeat itself on her Earth that well. Or that, if it had to, her Bruce would be spared. 

And she was wondering why she felt so warm. 

-B- 

Aboard the Batplane flown by Batman, this had happened: 

A radio communication had come in from Alfred. Batman opened the channel on the plane's control panel. "Go ahead, home fire." 

"Ah, Master...that is to say, Outbound...the mistress is undergoing a spell. The doctor says--" 

"Spell," said Batman. "What kind?" 

"Not traumatic," Alfred answered. "Vital signs are still good. But...indications are manifest." 

"Go ahead, home fire," said Batman, calmly. 

"The doctor reccommends you procure an antidote from the one who administered the dose," said Alfred. 

"And our time frame?" 

"About...ten days for effectiveness, Master Outbound. Two weeks will be simply too late." 

"Acknoweldged." Batman paused. "Who else knows of this?" 

"The doctor and myself, sir. But it may be difficult to keep it secret from others." 

"Do your best, old friend," said Batman. "And...give the mistress my love, and tell her..." He sighed, showing emotion for the first time. "Tell her I will be back, and I will not fail." 

"Very good, sir." 

"Good job, home fire," Batman added, feeling the weight of every word. "Out." 

"Out, sir," said Alfred, and the channel closed. 

The great control of the man in the cowl almost cracked. His hands tightened on the control yoke. 

Death. 

There had been so damned much of it in his life. 

His mother. His father. So many innocents along the way. The pain was overwhelming at times. The only times he had ever allowed himself to cry was before the great painting of Thomas and Martha Wayne. His shrine. 

His shrine to the people who had damned him to be the Batman. 

They had done it by dying. 

How many women had he dared love? Really, really love? He had bedded more than a few females, most of them one-night-stands, a few short-lived affairs. But love? That was a crack in his armor. He hardly ever let a woman that close. 

Julie Madison? Linda Page? Probably not. Now Julie was queen of a small nation and Linda...he had lost track of her. 

Batwoman? She had tried to love him. He had kissed her once, when they were both near death. But...he didn't let her in that far. 

Marcia Mason? Yes. Yes, he had loved her, enough to want to marry her after a whirlwind courtship. Possibly because she, too, had been a bad woman, the Queen Bee, in league with an organization called CYCLOPS. And when he learned that, the romance dissolved, of necessity. But not the hurt. The last he saw of her was in that incident. He never heard of her again, or wanted to. 

Batgirl? No. She was a friend, an ally, a competent fighter on his side, and she was certainly attractive. But she had never seen him as a lover, nor did he attempt to make her such. For a while he thought Dick might have some luck with her, but that hadn't worked out, for one reason or the other. Still, he did care for Barbara Gordon. A lot. 

Talia. If she had not been who she was, the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, he would gladly have swept her off her feet and into marriage, or at least a long-term relationship. But...if she had not been who she was, he would possibly never have met her. He had wanted her, perhaps loved her. But...she was who she was. 

Silver St. Cloud. There was a woman with whom Bruce Wayne had pursued a serious thing. She was one of the few women who had the character to match him. And the beauty to attract him. Plus, beside all that, she was a good woman. Unlike the bad women who had interested him before. She had even been intelligent enough to learn Batman's secret identity. But at the end, she had broken off with him, having seen first-hand the danger of the Batman's life, and knowing she could not bear it. 

Her loss was one Batman would remember forever. 

Vicki Vale. Yes, he had loved her. Enough for her to have been a rival to Selina. (And, in times earlier, to Batwoman as well.) He had regarded her as a friend when they first met, though she wanted to snare Batman as a husband. Then she went to Europe, got married, got divorced, came back, and caught the eye of Bruce Wayne. She was editor of Picture News, a competent, intelligent, beautiful redhead. When Selina had left him, Bruce and Vicki kept company. But Selina had won out, in the end. 

As he knew she always would. 

Now she was being taken from him. 

This would not happen. It could not happen. 

Fate or God or whoever was cruel enough to kill two sets of Wayne parents, a Batman and a Catwoman on another Earth, a Batwoman on this one. 

But he had trained himself to be stronger than Fate. 

Since that November evening in his eighth year of life, Bruce Wayne had remolded himself, in body, brain, and spirit. Whatever could be done to naturally strengthen his physical self, he had done. Whatever disciplines could be learned to strengthen and sharpen his mind, he had learned. Whatever tests of emotion and spirit could be taken to make himself as hard as he needed to be, yet retain sensitivity for the ones who fell victim to crime and misfortune, he had subjected himself to. The fighting arts, science, criminology, psychology, technology, anything else his grasping mentality could wrap itself around, he incorporated into his being. 

The end result was a product called the Batman. 

The Batman had come to be the man Gotham relied on. Even more than the cops, even more than Jim Gordon. Heroes, men with power far beyond his own, looked up to him as a pinnacle of development they could not reach. 

Now Selina Kyle depended upon him. 

Whatever came before him, he would have to be enough. 

He would be enough. 

Even if this was the last battle the Batman ever fought, even if he ended this episode in a grave reserved beside Thomas and Martha Wayne, he would save Selina's life. 

And he did his best to choke off the tormenting "But if--" in the back of his mind. But he didn't choke it off completely. 

The thought of failure was, often, the best goad. At least for him. 

He straightened in his seat. His hands became more relaxed upon the controls. Breath came more easily. 

Peeling off a glove momentarily, he poked a questing finger against the exposed skin of his face, under his eyes. No moisture. Good. That was good. Control was necessary. 

Geo-Force poked his head into the cockpit. "Friend Batman. Are you all right? We have not heard from you since the Faraday thing, and we are only a few minutes from landing, by my estimation." 

"I'm fine, Geo," he said. "You may as well go back to your seat. I'm about to address the troops." 

The monarch of Moravia sat in the co-pilot's seat. "No. I will stay here with you. At such a time, a man needs friends beside him. I am your friend." 

Batman looked at Geo. "Thank you," he said. Then he touched a switch on the control panel, and his words were broadcast to the Outsiders in both Batplanes. 

"Everyone, listen closely," he said, in a tone that stopped conversation among all of the heroes. "We're getting near landing point. A few things must be gone over. 

"First: I've been informed that only an antidote to the poison in Selina's body can save her life. We must assume Kobra has it. Current evidence points strongly to him as the guilty party. If he has the antidote, we must force him to relinquish it. If he can make the antidote, we must bring him back alive and force him to do so. This is the person some have called 'the deadliest man alive.' It will be no easy task. But you know that. Irregardless, this is our highest objective. Should I be lost on the mission, the antidote must be gotten to Selina. 

"Second: we must bring Kobra down, once and for all. Every day of his existence, more blood drips from his hands. Every day of his freedom, his plots to deprive the world of its own varying freedoms ripen. I have faced him four times. You have faced him twice. This will be our final encounter. Either the Outsiders will fall in this battle, or Kobra. I'm betting on the Outsiders. 

"Third: to you all, I owe my deepest gratitude. This was not truly your fight, but you allowed me to make it your own. You have already placed your lives in jeopardy to learn the secret of my wife's assailant. Now we must place them in greater danger, to save her life. This action of yours incurs a debt I cannot repay. But if...and when...we emerge from this, you can be assured that I will be there for each and every one of you in the future, as you have been here for me, and Selina, today. I give you, on that, the word of the Batman." 

Geo-Force fought a lump in his throat. He had heard such words before, but never with the impact that he heard them today. 

And in the compartment beyond, a mute Creeper and Plastic Man felt for the first time like true Outsiders. 

"Finally: we know of our enemies, or at least as much as King Faraday knew of them. Within ten minutes, we hit that natural landing strip. Here is what I want you to do." 

In two minutes' time, he outlined a plan of battle. 

The Batplanes dipped lower, and made for a level field not far from the mountains ahead of them. 

Other eyes were watching, through a pair of binoculars. 

"Is it them?" said a woman, next to the watcher. 

"It's them," said Shakedown, and took the instruments from his eyes. 

The group about him made ready for action. 

After all, that was what Kobra was paying the Masters of Disaster for. 

To be continued...   



	13. Chapter 13

bato13a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 13 

by DarkMark 

The man in the green, black, and white costume focused the energy of his power ring on Selina Kyle's body. As before, he knew it would be enough to sustain life, but not to cure. 

Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, knew that there had to be some yellow material in the poison that ravaged the former Catwoman. Even the ring had limits. It always would. 

Sometimes, those limits cost lives. 

Alfred Pennyworth sensed the problem, grimly, and set his jaw. God only knew how he would keep the knowledge from Mistress Selina of her plight. Perhaps she already knew. But at present, the Lantern's pouring of life-energy into her body was disguised as a "routine examination". 

Thankfully, the woman in the Batcave cot appeared to be doing better. 

Karl and Kathy, the Cat King and the Batwoman from Earth-Two, looked on apprehensively. Neither had met the Green Lantern of this Earth, who shared only a name and a similarly-powerful ring with Alan Scott of their world. But at least he seemed to be doing the job. 

After a few more minutes, Green Lantern said, "That's about it. Blood pressure, heart rate, EEG...I'm no expert, but the ring seems to indicate your signs are within the norm, Mrs. Wayne." 

"Thank you, Green Lantern," said Selina. "I feel better already. You put something in that ring-blast of yours to pick me up?" 

"Just an exam," lied Hal. "You'll be in good hands with Alfred. I'm going to give your prisoners an amnesia treatment and get 'em out of here, now. After that, we'll be moving you to the JLA satellite for safekeeping." 

"No," said Selina. 

All four looked at her. "Mrs. Wayne, forgive me," said GL. "You're in danger here. I can't stand guard duty on you. The satellite is secure enough against intruders, and--" 

"I don't care," Selina Wayne retorted. "I'm not going to be put in a tin can in orbit. When Bruce comes back, I want to be here for him. I'm staying." 

Alfred said, "Mistress Selina, it's an absurdly easy matter for Master Bruce to get to the satellite. There are transport stations in every major American city. And Master Lantern is correct in that you are more vulnerable here than you would be in outer space, you'll forgive me saying. We have already weathered one intrusion." 

Batwoman stepped forward. "Alfred's right, Selina. If this Kobra sent these hoods, he can send more. He knows where you are, and he's apparently tried to kill you twice now." 

Selina propped herself up on an elbow, defiantly. "Mrs. Gordon, I knew damned well what I was getting into when I married Bruce. I've been on the run from the law for half my life. Now the other side of the law's trying to kill me. But I knew that when I became the wife of the Batman, I was going to be in greater danger all the rest of my life. Either by being exposed to Bruce's enemies...or by knowing that Bruce could die any time he went out on a mission. It was part of the agreement. 

"I could die tomorrow. I could die tonight. Maybe I won't die for forty more years. I don't know. But I do know that I could get my ticket pulled without a bit of warning, every day I've got coming to me. That isn't going to stop me. I'll be in this house, waiting for Bruce when he comes back. And he's going to come back, I know it. Even if the Secret Society of Super-Villains, the Injustice Gang, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir try to storm this house, we're going to hold on. We're going to be here for Bruce when he gets back. Not in the Justice League satellite, or anywhere else." 

Green Lantern lifted his hand. "I'm not going to argue with you, Mrs. Wayne. Arrangements have been made, and you're coming with me." 

"No, she's not." Batwoman stepped between him and Selina. "I may not agree with her reasoning, Lantern. But if she wants to stay here, she stays here. I'll help look after her. So will Robin and the others. Besides, if your ring can't work against yellow...you know what the main color of my costume is." 

Tiredly, Hal said, "My beam could reach around you, over you, or under you. It's already been demonstrated that the Batcave isn't safe from intrusion." 

Karl Kyle got to his feet. "With all due respect, Mr. Lantern, I believe we've shown that we can keep Mrs. Wayne safe in an emergency. I think she can stay. Besides, you don't have any doctors on that satellite, do you?" 

"We have medical equipment and monitors," said Green Lantern. "We also have a member on duty round the clock." 

"But if Selina's life was really threatened by a relapse or something, do you have the expertise to save her?" asked the King of the Cats. 

Hal Jordan hesitated. Then he admitted, "Well, no. But we could get her to the necessary personnel in time, I'm sure." 

"But you might not," said Batwoman. "I don't know how long it'd take to get from that satellite to a hospital, but it sounds like it'd be longer than from here to Gotham General." 

"Not necessarily," said Green Lantern. "We can teleport to just about any spot on the globe. You'll forgive me for saying this, but keeping her here is insane." 

"Stop talking about me like I wasn't here," snapped Selina. "I'm not going with you, Lantern. And that's it." 

The Guardians' agent on Earth folded his arms. "If that's your decision, ma'am, that's your decision. You can live with it, and you may die with it." 

A horrified expression crossed Alfred's face. Hal seemed to catch it, adding, "If another band of terrorists breaches the Batcave, that is. I can tell you from first-hand experience, Kobra is not a run of the mill Gotham bad guy. He's one of the deadliest foes we've ever fought--I met him once, with Aquaman and Bruce--and we haven't brought him down yet." 

Selina said nothing. 

"All right, Mrs. Wayne," said Green Lantern, resignedly. "I've done all I can without your consent. If you need any more help, or you want to reconsider, call on me. I'll take care of your other problem, now." 

"I'll show you where they are," said Karl Kyle, and walked with Hal to the Batcave chamber where Kobra's squad was caged. 

Alfred sighed. He had heard from the Batman that this Green Lantern had lost his ring awhile back, been replaced by a substitute Green Lantern named John Stewart, and then regained his ring somehow. Now there seemed to be a whole colony of Green Lanterns in California, some of them not even human. All the same, he was glad he had this Green Lantern to rely on. 

A light on a wall of the Batcave indicated someone had been admitted to the mansion above. Batwoman saw it, too, and guessed its import. "Go on, Alfred," she said. "I'll stay with Selina, here." 

"Thank you, Mistress Batwoman," said Alfred, resignedly, and started in the direction of the steps to the grandfather clock entryway. 

Selina shifted and turned to Batwoman, seeing that Hal and Karl were already out of the room. "Sorry I had to act like that," she admitted. "But I just can't see me playing astronaut in a sickbed while Bruce is tracking down bad guys. Guess I'm too much the dutiful wife, huh?" 

Batwoman took Selina's bare hand in her gloved one, and was glad to feel some renewed warmth from it. "It's all right, dear. So far, the 'family's' been here to protect you. I think we can manage for the duration. Are you feeling all right?" 

"Better," Selina replied, feeling her forehead. "I was so warm beforehand. Thought I was having the mother of all hot flashes. Kathy, do they know something they're not telling me?" 

Kathy shrugged. "If they haven't told you, they haven't told me. But there is something I'm curious about. You've said your origin is different from our Selina's. How did you become the Catwoman?" 

Straight-faced, Selina said, "Because I didn't think calling myself the Dogwoman would be a great idea." 

Both of them cracked up. And were very glad to. 

"I'll tell you after dinner," said Selina. "I'm feeling kind of hungry. How about you?" 

Batwoman shrugged. "If your Alfred is as good a chef as ours was, I think I can eat." 

Alfred Pennyworth had already entered the library of Wayne Manor through the grandfather clock door. The library was kept locked on such occasions, as it was today. The butler secured the lock on the clock-door, concealing the Batcave entrance again, and unlocked one of the library entrances. Then he stepped out, hearing a hubbub of familiar voices from the den. 

The "family", as Batwoman had referred to them, had returned from their clash with the Joker's company already. Coming into the den, Alfred saw them all, both young and old Dick Graysons, Helena Wayne, Jason Todd, and Barbara Gordon, in civilian clothes, sitting or standing about, all of them facing two newcomers whom young Dick had admitted to the mansion. 

Both of them were women, and both brightened and hurled themselves at Alfred as he stepped into the room. 

"Uncle Alfred!" squealed Daphne Pennyworth, hugging him. "I told you I wasn't going home till I'd seen you again!" 

Julia Remarque smiled and hugged Alfred where Daphne wasn't. "I don't have as far to go as Daphne does, grandfather, but I wanted to see you, too. After we got hustled out at the wedding, both of us wanted to make sure everything was all right." 

"Julia, Daphne," said Alfred. "Well. We certainly can make time for each other, if anyone can. Masters Dick and Jason, will you check on Mistress Selina?" 

Helena said, "We'll all go see her, Alfred. You keep your girlfriends company." 

Daphne, who was an actress with England's Royal Shakespeare Company, murmured, "We want to see Selina, too, uncle. Is she doing all right?" 

"As to the first, it is regrettably not possible at present," answered Alfred. "As to the second, I can honestly say she is doing better at this moment. And now, if you two ladies will accompany me to the kitchen, you'll learn that I can indeed converse and prepare a meal for us all at the same time." 

"So can we, grandfather," said Julia. "They haven't tasted my French cuisine yet." 

"Us Brits will match you Frogs on the table any day," responded Daphne. "Let's make this a three-cook meal, and show these poor Yanks what they've been missing all their lives." 

"Missing?" Alfred sniffed. "Ladies, until you sample the products of Alfred Pennyworth's hand, you both have known only culinary deprivation. Come, both of you." 

-B- 

The Masters of Disaster were, in a way of speaking, the anti-Outsiders. Every superhero team seemed to spawn its opposite number, and the MOD took that role for Batman's band. Both groups had clashed more than once, and both knew the power of the other. 

The thing about the Masters that was unique was their mercenary nature. They preferred not to rob banks or steal valuable objects. They did jobs for pay, and they commanded a decent salary, thanks to their performance against the Outsiders. So they had been retained for this caper as well. 

The woman who led the band was called New-Wave, and all that was known of her was that her first name was Becky, she had the power to turn herself into water-forms such as a wave, steam, rain, or vapor, that a former MOD member named Windfall was her sister, and that she had killed their mother. Her skin was whiter than a fish's belly and she wore a two-toned blue outfit, with all her head shaved but one topknot that was dyed pale blue. 

Shakedown was the strongman of the group, and looked it. He was at least thirty per cent bulkier than any of the others, bald, brawny, bearded and mustached, dressed in a green costume. Besides super-strength, Shakedown had the power to generate vibrations and send them through various media towards a target; hence, his name. 

Heatwave and Coldsnap were lovers, named, respectively, Joanne and Darrel. Dressed in a yellow-and-red uniform and with ankle-length flaming red hair, Heatsnap could radiate blasts of heat or flame and had flight powers. Coldsnap wore a blue and white uniform and, conversely, had power to generate ice and cold. Both of them, because of their current conditions, couldn't touch the other without causing damage, so their main goal was to accumulate enough cash to find a cure for themselves. 

There had been a fifth Master of Disaster in the original group, the aforementioned Windfall. She had power over the winds, and could use them either to glide upon or as weapons against her foes. But she was by far the most reluctant Master (or Mistress), and had finally broken with the group, sojourning for a time with the Outsiders. She was not present. A new fifth member had been added. 

She stood beside the others on the cleared field near the mountains which served as a landing strip for Kobra's planes, and now would serve as such for both Batplanes. She wore a uniform of red and blue and had the cold eye of the assassin. 

"I see 'em now, too," she said. "Both planes. Think we should be out in the open like this?" 

New-Wave sneered. "That's just what we want. Get them to think we're still dealing from the same deck." 

Shakedown lifted his binoculars to his eyes, then lowered them, blinked, and raised them for another peek. "N-nuh-New Wave, huhhow many Batplanes are th-there s'posed to be?" 

"What do you mean, Shakes?" asked Coldsnap. "How many are you seeing?" 

Heatwave pointed to the sky. "I'm seeing it, too, Darrel. Hell, I'm seeing them." 

All five of them looked upward. 

Where two planes had been, seconds before, now fifteen occupied the sky. All Batplanes, all identical. 

And their number was growing. 

"Damn!" said New-Wave, throwing a splash of water at the soil. "Must be that illusion power of Halo's. Doesn't matter, though. Two planes or fifteen, they've still gotta land down here. We'll hand it to 'em then." 

"We could make some interesting updrafts, if you want to try a wind shear experiment," offered Heatstroke. 

"Stand your ground," ordered the wave-woman. "We'll hit 'em when they land. That's the drill." 

The multiple Batplanes descended, slacked speed, and came in for a landing on the field, as close to side by side as could be safely done. Illusions of thirty other Batplanes before and after them boxed them in like a squadron landing in formation. For the moment, none of the Masters of Disaster could tell which planes were the real article. 

Shakedown put his hands to the ground and transmitted his power through it. 

The earth underneath the landing strip quaked from side to side. One of the Batplanes, and its corresponding illusions, went onto one wing. Within seconds, the doors of both craft opened, emergency landing chutes inflated, and what looked like a small army of Outsiders emerged from their interiors. Batmen, Katanas, Metamorphos, and all the rest, on foot or in flight. 

"Couple of new faces," said the fifth Master. "Who the hell is the yellow guy?" 

"Let 'em come to us," said New-Wave. "They're suspecting something's up, but they don't know what." 

"Gonna find out," said Coldsnap. "Boy, are they gonna find out." 

Halo saw the new MOD member. For that reason, she spurred herself on before the rest, flying straight at their foemen. She screamed out the name of her chosen opponent: 

"SYONIDE!" 

"Good to see you again, honey," said the villainess, unleashing her electrical whip. "How's the family?" 

Halo sent a heat blast at her hated foe. Syonide leaped away from it, still swinging her whip in an arc as the Outsider's burst made the ground steam. The whip connected with Halo's body, sending a power surge through the flying girl. Halo screamed in pain. 

A hurled shuriken knocked the metal whip from Synoide's hand, but did not cut through it. Katana was coming on the run. Syonide crouched, whipped a gun from a holster, and started firing in the Asian's direction. Katana hit the ground and rolled, her blade magnetized flat against a metallic disk on the back of her uniform, getting nearer the female killer of Halo's parents. 

Metamorpho and Element Girl attacked in unison, forming themselves into aluminum gliders shaped like paper airplanes. New-Wave gestured, and Heatwave and Coldsnap hit the two elementals with temperature bursts. Rex and Rainie plummeted to Earth, resuming their humanoid forms on the way. Meta turned his bottom half into an iron shock absorber to take the impact of landing, while El Girl formed herself into a copper spring, bounced off the airfield's surface, and hurled herself at their enemies. 

New-Wave decided to take a direct hand in matters and exerted herself to full extent. Before the eyes of the charging heroes, her body shifted shape, enlarging within seconds and transforming into a great wave of water. It would only retain forward motion for a few seconds, but they were enough. Batman, Plastic Man, the Creeper, Geo-Force, Looker, and Black Lightning were all swept off their feet and inundated in choking water for a telling instant. By the time the wave went past them and reformed into a woman, the heroes were bowled over, trying to regain their breaths, feet, and senses. 

Katana and Syonide were attacking and parrying each other's attacks, sword against whip, shuriken against guns. Halo yelled at Tatsu to get out of the way so that she could take out Syonide. Katana paid her friend no heed. 

Metamorpho had turned himself into liquid nitrogen and was chasing after Heatwave, who fled, blasting ineffectual heat-blasts at his terrifically cold form. Element Girl had become solid diamond, shrugging off Coldsnap's icebursts and elongating her arms to capture him. 

Batman had regained his feet and held a Batarang at the ready. Facing New-Wave and Shakedown, his allies beside him, he called out: "Consider the odds, Wave. You have three seconds to surrender. Or pull out a secret weapon, if you have one." 

"Thought you'd never ask, Batman," said New-Wave, calmly. "We have several." 

At that, a section of ground opened up like a trapdoor, which it was. A very small man, no more than three feet in height and clad in a green uniform and goggles, was first out. 

"Thought you'd never give the cue," said Gizmo. 

A jetpack on his back hurtled him straight at their foes, knocking Batman and Black Lightning to the ground. By the time the two had rolled and leapt to their feet again, four others had emerged from the concealed bunker. Both of them, and all the Outsiders save the four newest members, knew who they would be facing, for they had battled the newcomers before alongside the New Teen Titans. 

A huge powerhouse of a man was next out, followed by a yellow-clad redhead whose hands glowed with power. Then an Indian beauty in a white costume and a horned headpiece, and, last of all, a red-robed man whose brain was encased in a transparent cranium, glowing with power. 

Respectively, they were Mammoth, Shimmer, Jinx, and Psimon, and, with Gizmo, they were known as the Fearsome Five. 

"We're the reinforcements," said Shimmer, smiling. She raised her hand. 

The Batman was already running towards them, dipping into his utility belt. He had only two words for his comrades: "At 'em." 

New-Wave, already reforming into another water-shape, yelled, "You've beaten both of us separately, Batman. But together? I don't think so!" As a wall of ice, she smashed into Looker. The redheaded model was knocked to the ground, a crushing bulk of glacier landing upon her, threatening to squash her. 

Then an orange burst of power reduced New-Wave to watery form, and a newly-wet Looker emerged from the sogginess. Looking up, she said, "Thanks, Halo." 

"Don't mention it," said the flying girl, dodging a blast from Gizmo's ray gun. 

Jinx, an Indian villainess and the Fearsome Five's newest recruit, pointed both her hands at Metamorpho and Element Girl, who had almost overtaken Heatstroke and Coldsnap. She chanted a brief chant. An unseen rush of mystic power erupted from her fingers. 

The nitrogen Metamorpho and diamond Element Girl turned and fell into each other's arms. 

The coldness of Rex's form shattered Rainie into a million gleaming fragments. The shock of the contact returned Metamorpho to his normal form. An instant later, he felt a surge of mental force attacking him, deadening his consciousness, rendering him inert. He had time to put the blame on Psimon before he, too, fell to the ground. 

Plastic Man and the Creeper, closest to Shakedown, performed a team attack. Nimbly, the green-haired Outsider performed a series of flips that brought him near the big bruiser, increased his momentum, and then enabled him to slam both his red-booted feet into the villain's broad chest. Shakedown moved back a step, but that was it. The Creeper grabbed Shakedown's neck and tried to find an appropriate nerve to pinch. Plastic Man wound his rubbery form, python-style, around their foe and pinned his arms. 

That worked until Mammoth sprinted up, grabbed his feet, unwrapped him like a piece of cellophane, and threw him away. 

The Creeper found Shakedown's fingers at his own throat, and the strongman wasn't worried about rendering him unconscious. Even desperate kicks to the face didn't dislodge him. Mercifully, Shakedown drew a fist back, ready to pulp the Creeper's yellow face. 

Before he could land it, Mammoth brought a fist down on the top of the Creeper's head, and the hero became dead weight in Shakedown's hand. The Master of Disaster looked disgusted. "You didn't have to do that," he said. 

"Didn't wanna waste time," said Mammoth, and turned away. 

Still running, Batman hurled pellets from his utility belt at their foes. His pitches had the accuracy of a professional baseball pitcher. Explosives detonated on impact, knocking Psimon, Shimmer, New-Wave, and Coldsnap off their feet, but bagging Katana as well. Smoke grenades emitted clouds of black vapor. He didn't count on their effectivity for long, but too many of his allies were down. Whatever worked in his favor, however slightly, had to be used. 

He rolled, leaped through a cloud of ebon, found himself in front of a startled Coldsnap. His fist lanced through the billows just as his foe tried to release an iceblast. All Coldsnap had time to do was to accumulate a bit of frost on Batman's midsection before five knuckles of iron smashed into his jaw and knocked him, as punning Fate would have it, ice-cold on the field of battle. 

A burst of heat from above seared Batman's cape, though it had been made flame retardant. He rolled to put it out, glimpsing Coldsnap's lover Heatstroke hovering in the air above him. She didn't hover long, however; Halo blasted into her and bore her to the ground, both of them fighting as they hit. 

Katana had finally smashed the whip from Syonide's hand and knocked her gun away as well. She closed on the villainess, her blade held before her, still wary of the concealed weapons Syonide carried. 

Then she looked at her blade. 

It had been transformed into a stick of gnarled wood. The spirit trapped within screamed, a voice she heard with her mind, in the agony of change. 

Shimmer's spell would only last for three minutes, but that was enough. Syonide pulled a mini-crossbow from her belt, sent a drug-tipped dart into Katana's body, and backpedalled as the samurai charged towards her with her last bit of consciousness. 

Katana bore them both to the ground, but Syonide was unhurt. By the time the blade returned to its normal form, Tatsu was unable to appreciate its restoration. 

Black Lightning had gotten into the fight after Jinx loosed her hex on Metamorpho and Element Girl. He didn't know what the girl had done, but didn't want to find out first-hand. Lifting his own hand, Jeff Pierce sent an electrical charge through the Indian mystic. It knocked her off her feet and stretched her out senseless. 

"Score one for the visitors," murmured the Ebon Bolt. He saw Halo in an apparent catfight with Heatwave, both women rolling over on the ground, slugging, grappling, and trying to loose powers on each other. He didn't like to hurt ladies, but Halo needed the help. 

The problem was that, as soon as he started in her direction, the ground began shaking up a storm. 

Black Lightning was thrown flat face-down against the ground. Splaying himself against the quaking land, he raised his head enough to see what he suspected: Shakedown had his palms against the field, about twenty yards ahead of him, and was making it impossible to stand up. 

"Won't be a whole lotta shakin' goin' on after this," Jeff said, and raised his hand to throw another bolt. 

That was when he felt a tremendous impact in his back, knocking the wind out of him. 

He was unable to see that Gizmo had made a fists-first landing on him, propelled by his jet-pack. The three-foot-tall villain's costume was insulated against electricity, not that it made much difference at the moment. 

Efficiently, Gizmo pulled a mallet from his weapons pouch and conked Black Lightning on the head with it. Jeff tried to retain his senses, even with the white lights blanking everything from his vision. 

Gizmo gave him another conk for good measure, and Black Lightning succumbed. 

Halo and Heatstroke had kicked apart from each other and, quickly, raised their hands and unleashed their powers at each other. For a second, Halo felt the terrible heat of her foe's fireburst. But only for a second. The might of her green stasis aura took effect, and Heatstroke was frozen in place, her hands still raised in the air. After two more seconds, she fell over. 

The Outsider girl felt as if she had received a painful burn, but bit her lips and resolved to help the others against their foes. After all, she was one of their most powerful members, with a different ability for every colored aura she wielded. Maybe a good old orange force-blast in the right place could scatter these baddies and even the odds. 

She steeled herself against the remaining pain and turned in an arc, ready to take on whatever foe showed his or her face. 

Halo stopped when she faced Syonide. 

The woman who had murdered the Harpers stood not fifteen feet away from her. Grinning like a jackanapes. Hands on her hips, not even trying to grab a weapon. 

The heroine lifted her hand, ready to blast Syonide into next month. 

Then she wondered if that would be a good idea. 

Then she wondered what the idea had been in the first place. 

Then it became as hard to push thoughts through her brain as peas through concrete. 

Calmly, Syonide walked up to her, cocked a fist, and let Halo have it on the point of her jaw. The girl fell backwards and lay still. Syonide looked over her shoulder at Psimon. "Thanks," she said. 

"No thanks," said Looker, not far distant, and unleashed a brainblast that rendered Syonide comatose, not without pain. 

Then the Outsider's psionic turned to Psimon, who was already facing in her direction. 

I've never faced you before,> he sent. Actually, I've been looking forward to it.> 

I'll try not to disappoint,> said Looker. 

They began battering at each other's minds, erecting shields, ramming at each other's defenses, trying to control, trying to assault, causing psychic pain, drilling at the other's psyche. It was cruel and devastating mental war, and neither wished to give an inch. 

After a few minutes, both slumped. Whether one or the other blasted through the other's protective psi-walls, or both succumbed from the pain of the mutual battering, will not be known. All that mattered was neither Psimon nor Looker was anymore in the fight. 

Plastic Man had picked himself up painfully after his encounter with Mammoth and sought to get back in the fight. Blocking his way was the pale woman in the blue outfit. "They call me New-Wave," she said. "You're one of the new ones on this team, aren't you?" 

"Yep," Plas allowed, as he formed himself into a plastic piledriver and positioned himself above her. His payload began to descend with great force. She might be a woman, but she was a dangerous woman. 

In response, New-Wave transformed herself once again into ice-form. She gauged that it would be proof against Plastic Man's pounding. But there was an added benefit: Plastic Man was vulnerable to extremes of temperature. 

The cold of her icy state spread over him as he contacted her. Plas pulled away from her, but a large portion of him was frozen into immobility. With an unfrozen arm and leg, he tried to crawl away. 

New-Wave threw herself upon him and spread her rimefrosted form over his body. Plas stretched an arm back, encircling her neck with it, but it froze along with the rest of him. The villainess remained upon him for a few more minutes, until she was sure that her foe was as stiff as a freeze-dried dinner.   
  
She looked up at the battlefield, taking stock at a glance as to which friends and foes remained in the fight. 

Only one of the heroes was left on his feet, and she saw that he had taken down two of their number himself. Gizmo lay non compos mentis, a batrope around his feet. Shakedown had been rendered senseless, though by what means it was not obvious. 

But Shimmer, Mammoth, and herself were left to face him. Mammoth stood not ten feet away from the masked man. Shimmer's hand was ready to loose a transformative spell. She, herself, could pelt Batman with pellets of solid rain. 

Batman was only standing there, waiting. 

"Take me to Kobra," he said. "Let the others go." 

"Not before this," said Mammoth, and stepped forward. 

It took all three of them together, but they brought him down. 

To be continued...   
  



	14. Chapter 14

bato14a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 14 

by DarkMark 

Pain and nausea were familiar friends. 

They signified he was waking up after being knocked unconscious. The first half-dozen times this had happened to him, he had thrown up on awakening. He was convinced that such a show was undignified, and would certainly lessen the stature of the Batman in criminals' minds if they saw him puking up his guts. So he bent his will to it, the will which had turned an eight-year-old boy into the World's Greatest Detective. He found he was able to resist. He did so now. 

Batman opened his eyes behind the blank lenses of his mask. 

It was not surprising to find his limbs restrained, or to see the man in front of him. 

The man was no stranger to Batman. He wore an orange costume of metallic cloth whose texture resembled a snake's scales, covering all of his body save his lower face. His eyes were protected by opaque red lenses. Gold bands encircled his calves, upper thighs, wrists, and upper biceps. A green sash-garment hung from one shoulder across half his chest, belted at the waist and hanging to knee-level; a gold triangle-symbol was fixed to it at the level of his diaphragm, similar to a smaller triangle on his forehead. From his shoulders flowed a green cape, at least as long as Batman's. In his right hand was a slim wooden staff with a jewelled head, and upon that staff writhed a deadly serpent which obediently made no attempt to bite the man, nor any of his lieutenants. 

The skintight costume revealed a physique as powerful-seeming as that of the Batman, and he had actually defeated the hero in hand-to-hand combat on one occasion. Batman remembered him well. 

Kobra. 

"Naja-Naja, he awakens," said a Cobra Cultist standing on the platform beside the villain. 

"So I see," said Kobra, drawing out the "s" sounds into a snakelike hiss. A snake writhed along his shoulders and down a wooden staff he held in one hand. "Once again, Batman, welcome to my nest. Do not fret. Your friends are alive, yet similarly bound. My mercenaries were worth every rupee I paid them." 

Batman swallowed, tasting bile. "I'm gratified to hear that," he said. "Tell me something." 

Kobra extended his staff towards Batman. The snake writhed down its length, darting its tongue at the masked hero. He made his face into stone. But he recognized the serpent as a poisonous species. 

"Do not presume to make demands of me," said Kobra. "You are entirely within my power. Naga--so!" 

The snake reared back, its jaws open, exposing the deadly twin fangs. 

Batman stared past it, to Kobra, though it was impossible to banish the snake from his field of vision. 

"I only wish the answer to one question," he said. "Since I am in your power, you would have nothing to lose by answering it." 

"What would I gain?" asked Kobra. The snake still hovered, but did not strike. 

"The knowledge of my distress, which I would carry to my death," said Batman. "That would make your victory a bit sweeter." 

The snake awaited the command of its master. Batman mentally chanted a mantra, focusing his attention away from the writhing coil of death. 

Finally, Kobra swept his arm back. One of the Cultists appeared with a wooden box, its lid open. The snake obediently slithered down the staff into the box, and the Cultist slammed the top shut and latched it. His speed proved that any appearance of fearlessness on his part towards the reptile was just a pose. 

"Curiosity is a curse," hissed Kobra. "But, for this once, I will indulge in it. Very well, Batman. What question would you pose?" 

Batman drew two breaths, bringing himself to calmness. "Were you behind the attempt on Selina Wayne's life?" 

Kobra smiled, his masked face split in a mirthless grin. Then he threw back his head and laughed, and, as soon as they gauged his reaction, the Cultists round about him indulged in laughter, too, a bit too enthusiastically to be real. As Kobra's laughter slackened, so did theirs. 

"Suppose I was," he said. "It would be a good deduction, given that I had two teams of operatives awaiting your arrival. If I had struck at Mrs. Wayne, that would simplify things, would it not? You would be assured that you had made the right choice in coming after me. True, it would be most distressing to you, knowing that Mrs. Wayne was fated to die, and you would have failed to save her, and that I would be responsible for both your deaths." 

"Well?" grated Batman. "Did you, or didn't you?" 

Kobra paused, then said, "I think that I shall not tell you, Batman. Your consternation over not knowing whether or not I am culpable will be just as satisfying as if you thought I was the murderer, and that you would be unable to punish me. Or to save--Mrs. Wayne." 

Batman had expected him to say "your wife", rather than "Mrs. Wayne." The pause before the words indicated that Kobra knew he did, as well. Kobra was toying with him, true. At the same time, he was apparently protecting Batman's secret identity from his underlings. A strange sense of honor, to be sure. Nonetheless, the hero was grudgingly grateful. 

"It would seem," said Batman, testing the strength of his bonds--he was spreadeagled in an upright position by metallic devices on his hands and feet against a metal backboard, with a metal band around his neck--"that you are the one. The presence of King Faraday on the plane. The preparedness for the Outsiders, before we landed. You anticipated us." 

"Little is proven by that, my friend," said Kobra. "I know of your visit to Ra's Al Ghul, oh, yes. To think that you would investigate him before me, as if I were second bite to the Arab's lead, is more than a bit insulting. Still, you do count him as a more personal foe than myself, so I suppose it was inevitable. However, I knew that if you were checking on old enemies of my caliber, very soon you would come my way. So I prepared myself--quite well." 

"Agreed," said Batman. "But that would not explain Faraday." 

"Ah, yes, Faraday," said Kobra. He nodded to one of the nearby Cultists. The robed one threw his mask back onto the back of his head. 

King Faraday's face was displayed. He showed little emotion. 

"He was investigating me," explained Kobra. "With my waters taken from the Lazarus Pit, I turned him. I knew I could use him as a Judas goat against you, when our paths came near crossing again." 

"Didn't work," said Batman, flexing his fingers within the metal restraint. "I saw through his story like it was written on glass." 

Kobra beamed. "But I kept hidden from him the knowledge of the Fearsome Five, which enabled me to trump your soldiers. I expected something of the sort from you. You are not an amateur." 

"Glad to have your authorization," grumbled the Dark Knight. "So. What's your regulation Evil Plan this time around?" 

"I always have more than a few in operation. But you are astute. I do have a plan of sorts. It should uphold my reputation in your eyes." He motioned to another aide. "Show him." 

The masked Cultist produced a box about the size of a small but square suitcase. He opened its front, revealing a video screen. After the power source was activated, an image formed on the screen. Its shape was familiar to Batman. 

"A nuclear accelerator," said Batman. "An atomic tunnel. What's so special about that?" 

Kobra said, "If it were only that, nothing. But. Do you recall the fear some scientists expressed recently that an accelerator powerful enough might open a doorway between universes, possibly creating a phenomenon not unlike a black hole on Earth?" 

Batman grimaced. "And that thing is supposed to do it?" 

"Not only supposed to, friend Batman. It will do it. Our mockup tests have indicated a slight, controlled 'burn' test of the apparatus would be enough to devastate a small nation. Of course, it could be made more localized than that, to destroy no more than a city block. But it could also be made large enough to destroy the entire Earth, in a matter / antimatter reaction." 

"What is supposed to stop the Justice League from finding and destroying it once you announce your plans for world conquest? Assuming, of course, that is your plan." 

Kobra sighed and tapped his staff on the ground. "Of course, Batman. The ultimate goal of all of us in our small sphere...myself, Ra's, Luthor, some of the others I can hardly call 'competitors'. It's always been a race to see who would get it first. But, you see, the men with the proper resources always have a jump on the ones who do it from scratch. Ra's and I have always had resources to spare." 

"And men." 

"Those, too." Kobra took his cane in both hands. "The Justice League will be lured to Markovia, very soon. I thought it fitting, for obvious reasons. The device has already been placed there, one of two in my possession. Once the League is in position, the device will be activated. Poof. No more Justice League, no more Markovia." 

Batman controlled himself. Then he said casually, "There are other heroes besides the Justice League." 

"So there are, dear friend. Supergirl, who for some reason did not attend your wedding. Several Green Lanterns. The Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, the Challengers of the Unknown, and probably a host of single operators or even teams I can't be bothered to remember at this point. We have plans for dealing with them. The main thing is: once we have shown our hand, so to speak, by leaving a huge smoking crater where once was a European nation, do you think the heroes or armies of your world will come in charging? I could destroy the Earth about them in a minute." 

"If you beat Flash or Superman or Supergirl or the Lanterns to the button, that is." 

Kobra shrugged. "I believe we have, as you might say, covered the bases. But, Batman. Are there not other things you wish to ask me?" 

"Such as?" 

"Such as, how long will I let you live? And do I have the antidote to the poison ravaging Mrs. Wayne?" 

Batman's face became a visible thing of hardness. Even Kobra was given pause. But the black-masked hero did not speak for a few seconds. 

"My guess is, I'll go shortly after you show me the destruction of Markovia. I'm assuming the rest of my team, or at least Geo-Force, will be spared until then. Am I right?" 

"Admirably so," nodded Kobra. "The World's Greatest Detective, indeed." 

"As for the other, I'll just bet you do. And I'll just bet I take it from your body, alive or dead." 

Kobra smiled, stepped a bit closer to Batman, until he was within reaching distance. 

Then he struck him a great blow across the face with the staff, bringing blood. 

"I'll just bet you won't," muttered Kobra. 

Then he turned on his heel and began walking away. "Faraday, come with me," he ordered. "I don't want you getting any too near our guest." 

The spy looked crestfallen. "But, boss, you know I'm loyal to you. I brought him here to you, for cryin' out loud." 

"I know only one thing in this matter: the Batman's capabilities. Rivalled only by my own. They quite outdo yours, Faraday, and if I could turn you, he could possibly turn you back. However." 

He paused and grinned and gave King Faraday a look that, for all the danger the spy had faced in his fairly long life, chilled him to the bone. 

"The demonstration of your loyalty so far is why I haven't killed you yet." 

The other Cultists shot brief glances at each other behind Kobra's back as several of them followed their chieftain and Faraday out. Five men were still left behind with Batman. One of them spoke to him. "We will supply water and food at your request, and feed it to you. There will also be a container provided for your elimination needs." 

"Thank you," said Batman, through bloodied lips. He suppressed a smile. 

He'd gotten Kobra to admit he had the antidote. As good as an outright admission that he had been Selina's poisoner. Rage does things to a man, makes him bypass his guards against recklessness, if not tightly controlled. Batman had manipulated more than one of his foes thus, many times. 

Now, all he had to do was get out of this restraint, clobber the guards, nab Kobra in his lair, force the antidote from him, get back to Gotham in time to save Selina's life, and stop this nuclear whatsit from destroying Brion's kingdom and the Justice League with it. 

He looked up. "How about some water?" 

-B- 

Markovia was presently ruled by King Gregor Markov, the brother of Geo-Force, and it was getting pulled rapidly into the last fifth of the 20th Century, like it or not. Gregor and Brion were both futurists, and both knew the necessities of making modern technology's and science's benefits available to the populance of their kingdom. 

That was why Gregor had willingly given permission to a consortium who wished to test a new nuclear power device in Markovia. If successful, it would provide cheap energy for most of the country, and all of the capital city. Their price was just to be allowed to market the device from Markovia, as a base. Nuclear power has its detractors all over the world, but Gregor's and Brian's position was much like France's, though not as extreme and careless as the French were with selling their nuclear material. Markovia had some power resources, most notably coal. But nuclear energy was a better alternative, if they could avoid a Chernobyl. 

So the question had come up, and Dr. Helga Jace had been called in to inspect the plans and the construction of the great tunnel-generator. She seemed to find nothing wrong with the plans. Even though she felt the building of the generator went on too quickly, Dr. Jace found no real structural flaws in it. 

A test of a small prototype was done, and it lit the palace grounds and a third of the city. Champagne corks popped in the palace, and King Gregor had shaken the hand of the Agan Consortium's representative. He was a white-haired, tall man named Art Lyte, and he joked that his business was "the art of light". 

Then Dr. Jace had found new documentation of the project, though she had to employ a safecracker to do it secretly. What she found, when she understood it, caused her to quake in fear. She tried to put through a call to King Gregor immediately, from her laboratory. 

The phone didn't work and a creak of the door, which had been locked, told her that she was not alone anymore. 

Art Lyte and his assistant, a nondescript black-haired girl in a conservative suit, stepped in and closed the door behind them. Lyte was smiling. 

"We observed your work on our company safe, Dr. Jace," said Lyte, softly. "Given that, you could hardly expect us not to do similar work with your telephone." 

What Dr. Jace tried to do was grab something to throw at them, to run at them and possibly bowl them over so she could get out, and to scream for help. 

What happened instead was Art Lyte raising a small penlight and triggering it, sending a beam of solid light at her which hit her hard and knocked her unconscious, sprawling behind her desk. 

He said to the woman beside him, "Go ahead and do her." 

The black-haired woman stepped over to the fallen Jace, stooped on one knee to examine her, and then did a curious and horrifying thing. 

First, her body altered in appearance from a fairly attractive young woman to a vaguely female shape that appeared to be molded of brownish, irregular clay. 

Then the shape reformed itself into the very image of Dr. Helga Jace. She took the glasses from the fallen woman, tried them on, squinted. "Can't see very well through these," she complained. 

Lyte pulled a pair from his coat pocket. "Try these. Just plain glass, but I doubt anyone will notice. I've made many a lens in my time." 

She replaced Jace's glasses with the pair Lyte gave her. "These are fine," she reported. 

"Well, then, a little light-refraction should enable us to take the real doctor to the car without too much trouble," murmured Lyte. "Just don't make it too obvious we're supporting an invisible person." 

And Dr. Light and the fourth Clayface bent to their current task. 

-B- 

In separate cells, the rest of the Outsiders awoke, one by one. They were bound in much the same fashion as Batman, except for a few of them who required special attention. Black Lightning had special apparati on his hands and feet that channelled his electric bolts into a device that supplied extra power to Kobra's facility. Try as he might, he could not burn it out. He exhausted himself trying. 

Some of that power was also supplied to Metamorpho's cell, to keep the elemental hero in a state of electrically-induced coma. He was shackled and housed in a bubble of plexiglass and metal. Element Girl was in a similar bubble, but, given the status of her body as shattered and gathered-up fragments, there was no need for shackles. 

Looker was kept in a state of anesthesia, with a metal mask covering her eyes. Halo was hooked into a device similar to Black Lightning's, but on a biofeedback basis; whenever she attempted to use her powers, she was shocked into unconsciousness. Plastic Man was kept frozen by refrigerator coils. Katana was merely kept in a room without her sword. 

As for the Creeper, he was bound like Batman, and that was the end of it. 

Geo-Force, however, awakened in a much different sort of device. In structure, it was similar to that which restrained most of the Outsiders, but his hands and feet were encircled by four global nimbi of rainbow energy. He looked at them, tried to break free, summoned the power of the Earth to help break his bonds. 

It didn't work. 

"Psimon designed those for me," said Kobra, stepping into the cell. "Rather effective, wouldn't you think?" 

The prince of Markovia stared at his captor, and the three women with him, in unconcealed contempt. "Kobra, and his whores," said Geo-Force. "I should expect no less." 

The orange-costumed man strode forward, his face set in a scowl. Inwardly, Brion was pleased. He had made a palpable hit. "You will watch your tongue, dear prince," said Kobra in a deadly tone. "Two of the ladies are my concubines, true. Never 'whores'. As for the other, she is my business associate." 

"I can imagine," said Prince Brion. "I can imagine what kind of 'business.'" 

Then he cried out in pain as Kobra's staff struck one of the globes. 

As the white wall of anguish receded from his mind, he heard Kobra saying, "They do more than withstand your powers, as you can see." 

Sweat dampened Brion's skin and the fabric of his mask. "Why. Have you. Come here?" 

"To show you something," said Kobra. "Eve, if you will." 

The woman named Eve, a gorgeous, black-haired beauty who wore naught but a skimpy green bikini and sandals, opened a box containing a viewscreen of the same sort as the one Kobra had shown to Batman. Geo-Force had met her before, and knew her as Kobra's henchwoman as well as his mistress. The other two women weren't speaking. One looked like a zombie. The other looked as though she dared not speak. 

Kobra gave Geo-Force much the same show and briefing as he had to the Batman. Unlike his mentor, Brion did not bother concealing his hatred. He surged uselessly against his bonds, cursed the mastermind, and swore to thwart his plan to destroy Markovia and the JLA. He also promised to kill Kobra once he was out of his bondage. 

Kobra remained unmoved. 

"The Batman has been making similar promises about me ever since he saw my brother, Jason Burr, killed by this lady, at my command." He gestured with an open palm towards the zombie-woman, a lovely strawberry-blonde girl in a short purple dress and a curious tiara. "You can see how effective his promises have been. I remain alive, Miss McNeil remains one of my brides." 

Brion wondered if he saw a flare of jealousy in Eve's eyes, or if it was just a trick of the light. 

"At any rate, I couldn't neglect giving you the same preview of what I have in store for your homeland," said Kobra. "It may well be for the good, in the long run. Nukes are dangerous." 

"Not half as dangerous as I will be, to you," said Geo-Force, gutterally. 

Kobra stepped closer to Geo-Force, almost daring him to spit in his face. 

"I could have Psimon torture or kill you at my pleasure," he said. "Or I could do it myself. And I am quite imaginative. But there is no need, at present. The sight of your country's elimination will be torture enough. The deathstroke afterward will be a mercy. Unlike this." 

With that, he kicked the globe at Geo-Force's left ankle. The hero shut his eyes, arched his back, and cried out against the pain. 

The third woman finally spoke up. "Kobra, please," she said. "There is no need." 

He whirled to face her, no mercy in his bearing. "There is always need to discipline such as him. And anyone else I choose. My followers worship me as a god's incarnation. It is well not to provoke the wrath of a god, is it not?" 

After a moment, she said, "Yes, Naja-Naja. Of course. Please excuse my outburst." 

"For the moment," he said. "Remember: you came to me, not I to you. Now let us depart. I believe our friend would be left alone to deal with his pain...physical and otherwise." 

The door slammed shut behind the departing foursome and all that was left to be heard was the sound of Geo-Force's labored breathing. 

-B- 

In their room at Wayne Manor, Dick Grayson and Koriand'r lay together with only the sheets for covering and only the moon peering in through the window. 

The girl from another world spread and unspread her fingers on Dick's naked chest. "Will it always be like this, do you think, beloved? Always fitting our marriage between the things we must do as heroes?" 

"Damned if I know, Kory," said Dick. "It's...always been this way for me. Since the day my folks got killed and I met the Batman...it's always been like this." 

She sighed and moved her head a bit on his shoulder. "I should not be selfish. What we face is nothing compared to what Selina must deal with. She is still dying, Dick." 

"I know it. God help her, I know every bit of it." He gently dislodged her, sitting up in bed, running his hands over his face, feeling his sweat and stubble. "Her face turning a bit more red every day, her vital signs... Dammit, it was so much simpler when she was just a crook and we just had to catch her." 

"Was it?" 

"No. I have to admit that. Even then, Bruce had a thing for her, and she for him. It's just that they wouldn't acknowledge it. Then she reformed, we accepted her as a partner, and now..." Kory massaged his back, but Dick kept his face in his hands. "Dammit, Kory, I can't let her die. She means so much to Bruce. She's meaning so much to Jason, now. He's starting to see her as his new mother. What'll it do to him if his mother dies on him, again?" 

"What will it do to you, Dick?" she said, softly. 

"I won't like it, I can tell you. I've come to appreciate her, too. If I let her die, without trying to do something about it--it's like I've failed Bruce, too. I know I should be past that feeling, but I'm not." 

"I understand, Dick." 

"Maybe so, maybe not. I don't know what's going on in India, but I can't do much good in Gotham. Kory?" 

"Yes?" 

"Tomorrow, we're calling the Titans together again. We're going to India, no matter what Bruce has said. He might be in trouble. Even with all the help he's got. If he is, or even if we're just in time to get in on the fight, we're going to backstop him. What do you think of that? Am I crazy?" 

"No. Dedicated to a fault, but not crazy. I think it is a good decision." 

"Thanks," said Dick, with a sigh. 

"What of Gotham? Will it be safe in your abscence?" 

"Should be. The Bat-Squad's available to help out Gordon. Even the Earth-Two bunch are staying for the duration. We can leave it in their hands." 

"As you say, Dick," said Kory. "But tonight is for us, alone. And you will be left in my hands. Among other things." 

"Oh," said Dick, as Kory shifted position with only the moon to witness, and thick walls to absorb any sound the two of them might make. 

-B- 

Below, in the Wayne kitchen, a slightly frowsy Betty Kane stepped in for a nightgown conference with two other women. Both of the others were also in nightgowns. Helena Wayne and the strange, older Kathy Kane of Earth-Two looked up at her. 

"Well, I hope somebody saved me some of the cake," said Betty, attempting a wisecrack. She decided she'd never match Dick in that department. 

Kathy cast her eyes down towards the floor. "I called you down here because I wanted to apologize for not speaking very much to you at the gathering tonight." 

"Oh, come on," said Betty. "You don't need to apologize." She sat on a stool beside the breakfast counter where Helena and Kathy were also seated. "Look, I was shocked as hell when I came into the drawing room and saw you there, too. I mean, you're older than my Kathy, but...well...you're alive. And that's what counts. I'm glad to see you. Really glad." 

Helena sighed. "We know, dear. We were glad to find out about you, too. But...well, tell her, Kathy." 

"Tell me what?" asked Betty, beginning to sense what the answer would be. 

Kathy looked at Betty with a great sadness. "There was a Betty Kane on my Earth, too. She found out who I was, just like you did with your Kathy. She made herself a Bat-Girl costume. She horned in on the case I was working with Bruce and Dick, against King Cobra. Just like you." She paused, bit her lip, unable or unwilling to continue, or to look at Betty. 

"What happened?" said Betty, in a voice smaller than she would have liked. 

Helena held Kathy's shoulders as she finished the story for her. "On our Earth, King Cobra broke jail a few months later. He tracked down our Bat-Girl. And he shot her. And she...she died." 

"Oh, my God," breathed Betty. She moved to take Kathy in her arms. "Kathy, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so damnably sorry." 

Kathy looked up. There were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. "Don't be, dear. Every time...every time we come to your Earth, or...you go to ours...it's true, we're visiting ghosts. But sometimes...ghosts can be awfully good to see." 

Kathy Kane hugged her counterpart niece very tightly, and Betty embraced her. But she shot a questioning look at Helena. It wasn't hard to guess what she wanted to know. 

"King Cobra died, not long after that. Tripped and fell into his own snake pit," said Helena. "At least, that's what Dad told me. Since he was the only one there...I guess he'd be the one to know." 

-B- 

Batman had been left with only two guards, as time had passed and it grew near the time of sleeping. But two other guards stood outside his door, and he now heard them arguing with a woman outside. 

He recognized the voice. He just wondered if the guards inside had seen his surprise. 

The woman won the argument. "Five minutes," said the guard. "No more." 

"I will tell Naja-Naja of your efficiency," the woman said. 

There was a clicking of tumblers as a lock was opened. The two guards checked their weapons instantly, and stood between the entering woman and the shackled Batman. "No further," said one of them. 

She stepped past them. One of them grabbed her arm. She gave him a look, and he withdrew his hand. But they kept their weapons at the ready. 

The lady stepped as close as she dared to the prisoner. When she was within three feet of him, she stopped. 

"Hello, Batman," she said, tenderly. "It pains me with intensity to see you in such circumstance." 

He took a breath before replying. 

"Hello, Talia," he said. "Nice to see you, too." 

To be continued...   



	15. Chapter 15

bato15a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 15 

by DarkMark 

Raven once again lay her hands on Selina Wayne and tried to draw the death from her body. 

Her effort lasted less than a minute. Selina gasped, though none could quite tell if it was from pain. The Teen Titan's face twisted in pain, then dissipated the load into the ether. Her eyes, for a second, looked haggard. 

Looking into them, Dick Grayson knew the truth: it had not been enough. 

"I have done what I can," Raven said. 

Starfire and Alfred Pennyworth were also within the Batcave. The gold-skinned girl stood near her husband, looking down at the woman in the cot with great concern. Alfred held her hand. 

"I feel a little better," said Selina. "Thank you, uh, Miss Raven." 

"Thank you very much, Raven," said Dick, struggling to keep sorrow out of his voice. "Selina, I'll be back in a moment." 

"Sure, Dick, no problem," said the pale Catwoman. "Could you do me a favor?" 

"Anything." 

"Would you send Jason down? I'd like to talk to him." 

"All--all right, Selina. I'll do that. Then Kory, Raven, and I have to get ready." He paused, then finally broke, bent down, and hugged her. Selina hugged back, enfeebled though she was. 

"Go on," she whispered. "Bring my husband back." 

"We will," he replied, softly. "Just be here for him when we get back." 

There was nothing more to say, so Dick lay her gently back in the cot. Then, motioning Raven and Starfire to follow him, he walked to the stairs that led to the grandfather clock entrance to the Batcave. 

When they were gone, Selina said to Alfred, "It's bad, isn't it? For Bruce, I mean." 

He sat beside her bed on a camp chair. "I fear so, Mistress Selina. Against Kobra, one could only expect great difficulties. Still, the master has been incommunicado for days many times before. Every time, he has returned, triumphant." 

Selina rubbed her hands against her stomach. "My hands are number, Alfred. I guess that means we're just about into the home stretch." 

"Do not talk in such fashion, Mistress Selina." Alfred gripped her hand firmly. "The ability of the body to fight off affliction is directly linked to the determination of the mind to survive. You feel this, do you not?" 

"Yes, I do. In a few days, I may not be able to. Alfred, do you believe in God?" 

"Why, yes. Yes, I do. And I trust He will answer my prayers on your behalf, and on the Master's. But you must work with Him, Mistress Selina, and not give up hope." He paused. "Why did you ask me such a question?" 

"Because I believe in Him, too," she said. "At times, I wasn't quite sure. I mean, my life hasn't been a real bed of roses. More like an alley cat's, getting chased down dark streets, wondering where my next meal ticket's coming from, hiding out from the dogs in the blue suits and badges, figuring that something's bound to come and run me over. Kinda like He wound me up and let me go, saying, 'I've given you everything you need. It's up to you.' But...I wasn't sure such a God could exist. I mean, I wanted to. But I always prayed, Alfred. I prayed there'd be a way out of the blind alley. And now..." 

Alfred waited. 

"Now, there is a way. Even if it's only for a week or so, at the end of my life, He's let me have what I always wanted. A husband, the Batman, and a son. And friends, lots of friends. Like you, you old limey." 

"Indeed," said Alfred, summoning up every erg of British reserve to keep his eyes from brimming over. 

"And an end to the running. I haven't had to run very much for the past few years, but I've got what I wanted, even if it's only for this long. So, yeah, I do believe in God. Because He did answer my prayers." 

There was a deliberate scuff of a tennis shoe on the cave floor. 

Alfred and Selina looked in that direction. 

Jason Todd stepped into the light. 

"Maybe it wasn't just your prayers gettin' answered, Selina," said Jason, his hands in his pockets. "Maybe He was listenin' when somebody else was...ah, hell." He looked down, embarrassedly. 

Selina said, "Maybe those prayers were about a mother, Jase?" 

Jason ran to her as fast as he possibly could, saw that her arms were opened, and crushed her to him in a powerful embrace. Both of them were happy, for a long moment. Both of them, probably, were crying. 

Alfred judged that a good thing, as it gave him time to shuffle off to a point behind the Batcave computer, more than a few yards distant. Once out of sight, he knelt on the cold limestone floor, and began his prayer, which was no more than a three-word mantra. But he hoped it would be enough. 

"Save them both," he murmured. "Save them both." 

-B- 

"I have broken with my father," said Talia, "though he does not know it yet." 

"Hooking up with Kobra's not much of an improvement," said Batman. He tried his strength against the bonds that held him in place, more to have something to do than in expectation of escape. "How did that come about?" 

The beautiful daughter of Ra's Al Ghul tried to lean closer to the caped man. One of the guards held his weapon before her, pushing her back a bit. "Watch it," snapped Batman. 

"I am under Naja-Naja's protection," she told the guard. 

"So is this man," the Cultist replied. "And we are the protection. Keep your distance from him." 

"If you answer my question, I will answer yours, Batman," said Talia. "Agreed?" 

Grimly, but not without softness, the Batman smiled. "Always. What is your question?" 

Talia, who wore a surprisingly demure lavender dress, the skirt ending at her knees, said, "I will answer your question first. My father and I share love, yet...I cannot abet him more. I came to fear his control of my life. I have broken with him before. Now, I hope, it is permanent." 

"So you chose one of his chief competitors," observed Batman. "Because Kobra could protect you?" 

Talia nodded. "No other man that I know could guard me from my father's retribution, save perhaps yourself. And you..." Talia sighed, then looked at him in sorrow. "You would not have me." 

"Talia, I am sorry," said Batman. "Believe me when I say that, for it is true." 

"I believe you. The Batman tells no lies." 

"Your five minutes are almost up," said one of the guards. 

She glared at the Cultist. Then she said to the Batman, "Do you love her as you did me?" 

He regarded her with as much tenderness as he gave to any human being. In an instant, the parade of women to whom he had given a sliver of the possession he called Love came to him, and were as quickly gone. Her face was among them. 

"No," he said. "And in a way, yes. She was a dark woman, as you are a dark woman. That attracted me to both of you. But she came into the light. That made my love for her complete. I am hers now, Talia, as she is mine. But I hope you will not forget what we had together, Talia. I will never forget." 

Talia, in her own right a most lovely, strong, and dangerous woman, was not looking at him as she said, "As you say, Batman. As you say." 

"The five minutes are up," said a guard. 

She said nothing as the two Cultists advanced with the barrels of their weapons crossed to form a barrier between her and the Batman. But she moved well ahead of them, until the doorway was reached and shut behind her. 

The Batman followed her with his eyes. 

The guard nearest the door was in the process of activating the lock and wondering why in the devil it was taking him so long, after all his training. He turned, started to shout a warning to his comrades, and saw they had already dropped to the floor. 

It seemed that he could do nothing better than follow their example, and he did. 

Talia pushed the door inward. "You may stop holding your breath now, beloved. The gas is effective, but disperses quickly in the air." 

Nonetheless, he did not inhale until she had unlocked the bond about his right wrist. 

-B- 

Katana was chained in a cell. That did not keep her from sitting, lotus-fashion, upon its concrete floor. 

Nor did it keep her from talking to her sword. 

It was kept in a display case near Kobra's meeting room and more than a few of the Cobra Cultists had admired it and commented on its craftsmanship. But none of them knew it was inhabited by a spirit. 

The spirit was that of the man who had killed Katana's husband. 

Talk to me, Takeo Yamashiro,> she said, in her mind. 

Aie! To you I should speak, O witch who killed me?>, it replied. 

To me you must speak, O rat's-dropping who murdered my husband, who was your brother, and caused my children's death. And you must do what I say, by the sorceror's spell,> she asserted. 

I love you not, nor did I enjoy being transformed into wood recently,> sighed the sword. Yet, you speak truly. I must obey you. Tell me what I must do.> 

Our minds together have some little power,> Katana said. Can you perceive any of these Cultist swine nearby you?> 

The mind of one is very near. I think he is admiring me. His name is--> 

I care not for his name, Takeo Yamashiro. Reach out to him, with my hand guiding you--so. Is he ours, now?> 

I believe he is.> 

He must smash the case and grasp you.> 

A moment...there. He has done so. I believe his hand is cut. Something drips upon me.> 

As long as it does not stay his hand. Are there others nearby?> 

Yes. They see us. I see through his mind.> 

Dispose of them.> 

It is difficult, woman. He is not as swift as usual, under our control--ah! He has been shot by one.> 

Then he must destroy the shooter.> 

A moment--There. It is done. Now the other one. Life spurts from him.> 

Ignore that. The man must come to me, and use the sword to free me. He must kill the guards, take their keys, and free me.> 

This is not an easy thing to do, woman. Others may come upon the dead men.> 

So? Have him hurry. Where is he?> 

Not far. I am making him run. Also I am making him hold his wounded side to keep more blood from coming out. Aie! Another one. Luckily, we have slain him before he could strike.> 

Katana said, I hope we do not have to give you to another. The next might not be so easy to control. How far is he, now?> 

He is at the hallway of the cells, now. We are closest to him. But there are two guards running towards him. They fire. His chest appears to burst.> 

Have him slay them.> 

This is...not an easy...thing to do. His muscles are...failing...> 

DO IT.> 

One dies. The other...slashes with a kris...now his head separates from his neck. I am well made, I think.> 

Your current body is well-made, Takeo. Your soul is still that of a snake. Have the man pull the keys from the pocket of one of the guards.> 

Most...difficult. The body senses it is dying. It spills its heartsblood upon the two guardsmen. Its hands...can barely feel the keys.> 

I have heard the sounds of battle, Takeo. Use the man's hands to turn the key in the lock.> 

Lock is boobytrapped. A poisoned projectile has been shot into his chest, or what remains of it.> 

Are you turning the key?> 

I...believe so. There is so little of his mind to reach...> 

Continue.> 

She heard the scrabbling of the key in the lock. But she kept her will focused on the sword, its inhabitant, and its slave. 

The door swung open, a bit. 

Throw the keys to me.> 

She saw a hand, red-gloved and dripping, twitch into view beside the edge of the door. It held a ring of keys on one finger. 

Just before the hand dropped, it flicked the keys a little further in her direction. 

Quickly, Katana rose from her lotus crouch, found that the chains, which would not reach as far as the door, would reach just far enough for her to grasp the keys, and selected one with an expert eye. A second later, she was free. 

She sprang to the door, threw it open, saw what was left of her pawn and the two guards he had killed. The floor about them, and many parts of the walls, were spattered or coated with redness. 

Deftly, Katana stepped on the sections of flooring that had the least blood upon them. It would not do to leave a footprint trail, if one could avoid it. She picked her sword by its hilt from the cold hand of the man who had wielded it, and wiped its blade clean on a section of his left pants leg. 

I was wondering if his soul would replace mine,> said the sword to Katana. 

You hope for too much,> she replied. 

Katana rushed to another cell door. More guards would be on their way. The others, if they were held in this section, had to be quickly freed. 

The door at the end of the hallway swung open and the Batman and a woman emerged. They both gaped at the sight of her and the three corpses at her feet. 

She bowed to the Batman. "This was necessary. Shall we free the others, my lord?" 

Wordlessly, Batman nodded. 

Then they got to work. 

-B- 

Plastic Man was damned if he was going to funk out on his first mission as an Outsider, even if the freezing coils in his cell made him stiff as a board. 

That was on the surface. Coldsnap had taken advantage of his weaknesses to extremes of heat or cold. His flexibility was rendered inert by freezing, or made to flow like water by high temperatures. 

But below the surface, Plas was manipulating his body. Warming it by thrumming his internal organs, as much as he could, as much as he dared. It was not unlike rubbing one's hands together to keep them warm on a winter's day. His guts, and the parts of his body below the surface of his skin, were building heat, becoming more and more flexible. He thought of himself now as a human baked Alaska. 

The problem, and Plas was quite conscious of it, was what would happen to his skin once he dared attempt to stretch it. It was still stiff, still frosty. Most likely, it would tear. If it tore badly...well, one could imagine what might happen. 

But the Batman was his friend. The man in the cape (and Metamorpho, as well) had aided Plas during that terrible, godawful love affair he had carried on with Ruby Ryder, the beautiful tycoon whose only love was for money, and who frequently stooped to criminal means to get more of it. When all had given up on Plas, the Batman had not. A recommendation from him had helped Plastic Man regain his job with the FBI as a liason agent. Even Woozy Winks, his sidekick, had reunited with him for a string of cases. 

Now, the Batman needed him. And the Catwoman's life depended on their success. 

He would show them the value of their friendship. 

Tentatively, he rolled the skin of his left fist. 

It cracked. It bled. 

He stretched it further. 

It bled more, the droplets freezing as they hit the floor. 

It hurt like fire and he did not dare think of it no he didn't dare touch it with his mind he was Plastic Man and he could stretch so he would damned well S-T-R-E-T-C-H... 

Ohgodohgodohhh... 

His numbed and cracked fingers touched one of the freezing coils. 

With a motion, he tore it free of its mooring. It broke, spewing freon gas. He did not breathe for as long as it spewed. 

One of the Cobra Cultists who had heard the melee outside Katana's cell, which was on a side of the block other than Plastic Man's, had been coming on the run when he heard the spewing of the refrigeration tube from the cell he passed. He stopped, turned around, threw open the slit that permitted one to gaze inside, through bars. 

A bloody but very firm hand shot out on something that looked like a snake in a red sleeve and bashed him in the face. All it took was one punch. 

The hand groped about on the fallen body for keys, found them, and went about fitting them in the lock. 

Plastic Man was still too stiff to flow through the door slit like baking dough. But that, he knew, would change. 

-B- 

The Creeper's hand with the control device on it was free enough to allow him to change into Jack Ryder, even though he was chained. So he did. But nobody was suckered by his claim that the Creeper had taken off and left Ryder in his place. After awhile, he changed back to his yellow-skinned and green-haired persona, and sulked. 

A Cultist was looking in at him through the door slit, and grinning. The Creeper sat in his chains and glowered. "Mortal wretch," he began, "provoke not the wrath of the Creeper, for his powers are beyond human ken--" 

The guy at the door suddenly fell forward, with his face against the bars, then slid downward. Another masked Cultist was visible, through the slit. 

"Oh, shaddap," said that Cultist, in a familiar voice. 

There was the noise of keys in the lock. "These things are boobytrapped, unless you know the right way to spring 'em," the Cultist continued. The door swung inward on heavy hinges that could withstand a bomb blast. The masked and robed man stepped into the room and tried other keys until he found the ones that unlocked the Creeper's hand- and leg-cuffs. 

The Creeper rubbed his wrists. "At first I thought you were on our side. Then you're on Kobra's side. Now you get me loose. What's the deal?" 

"A new deal," said the Cultist, and pulled his hood up to expose his face. "Looker set up a thing in my mind that helped me get back on track. I think I've shaken off the effects of that damn pit. I think the others are busting out. You ready?" 

"Sure, Faraday," said the Creeper. "But put that hood back on. You're probably better off if the Culties don't know it's you." 

The American agent remasked himself. "You've gotta help get the others loose, Creepo. Batman'll brief you. If he doesn't, I'll say it. The world's at stake." 

The Creeper grinned from ear to ear. 

"For my first outing with this glee club, I wouldn't take anything less." 

-B- 

Metamorpho's consciousness was negated by the electrical devices which kept him in a coma. Element Girl was in pieces, unable to reassemble herself without an electrical charge to bridge the gap between her shattered body parts. 

Fortunately for them, Black Lightning had been freed by Batman, Katana, and Talia. The three of them had found the escaped Creeper and had started making the rounds of the cells, taking out whatever Cultists were unlucky enough to appear on the scene. Jeff Pierce looked tired, as well he might. His electrical energies had been sapped to keep Rex Mason comatose. 

However, once out of the power-sapping shackles, Jeff was no longer there to empower the devices. So, within a few moments, Metamorpho awoke. 

Batman, Talia, and Katana were before him. 

"Holy blue blazes," Rex managed to say. 

The caped hero lay his gloved hand on Metamorpho's purple shoulder. "Think you're up to helping us fight, and free the rest, Rex?" 

Mason sat up, looked behind him at the plastic and metal skullcap which had been clamped about his head until seconds ago. "Uh, sure, Bats. Just give me a scorecard. Where's Urania?" 

The heroes heard a familiar crackle of power and shattering glass. 

"I sent Jeff to get her out of that contraption they placed her in," said Batman. "Sounds like he succeeded." 

There was another crackle. "Jeff's charging her up," said Metamorpho, with a grin. "She'll be all back together in a minute." 

"Come on," said Batman, pulling the Element Man to his feet. "Kobra's got to be monitoring this situation by now. We'll be up to our ankles in super-villains within minutes." 

Metamorpho formed his hand into a giant spiked maul. "Bring 'em on," he said. "But what about her?" 

He was looking at Talia. 

"She's with me," said Batman, simply. 

Metamorpho shrugged. "Whatever you say," he answered, and got up from the slab on which he had been lying. He joined the others as they went to the next cell. 

But he noticed that Katana was taking care to keep herself between Talia and the Batman. 

He didn't blame her one bit. 

-B- 

Kobra turned from the videoscreen. Well, such a thing was expected. If one yielded to the temptation to keep Batman and his band alive once captured, one always ran the risk that the damnable ones would work themselves free, no matter what bonds were placed on them. 

He could, of course, release death-gas through that section of the compound. That would kill his men as well, but they accepted the risk. However, Metamorpho and his bitch-counterpart would survive it, and they were formidable foes indeed. Also, Batman had escaped traps even deadlier than that in his career. 

There was nothing else to be done about it. 

New-Wave and Shimmer were in the room with him. "Destroy them," he said. "A bonus will be paid, of course, to the survivors." 

"I'm not hot on the idea," said Shimmer. "First, they aren't our regular enemies. We're just doing a mercenary deal here. Second, I know how these things go. First we win, then they escape, then we lose. I want to pull out." 

"Nobody's pulling out yet," snapped New-Wave. "I want those fools dead worse than Kobra does." 

He eyed New-Wave unkindly and, despite her reserve of powers, she found herself drawing back. 

"My men will aid you," he said. "They must not reach the outer world to reveal my plans. Whatever else occurs, leave not a man of them alive." 

"Including the Batman?", asked Shimmer. 

Kobra chanced a look at the viewscreen. The Batman was quite visible on it. The one foe who could, physically and mentally, give him decent competiton, save for Ra's Al Ghul. Also, Talia was at his side, and there would be hell to pay once she was killed. 

But if there was an alternative, even he could not see it. He had to extricate himself, in case the Outsiders did somehow triumph. He had to be free, to actuate the plan. 

"Even the Batman," he said, finally. "Go." 

To be continued...   



	16. Chapter 16

bato16a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 16 

by DarkMark 

"Selina. Wake up." 

"Hmmm?" 

The dream she was having faded into nonremembrance. She fought her eyes opened and focused them on the 15-year-old form standing over her in the dimness of the Batcave. Jason Todd, naturally. She managed a smile. 

"What time is it, Jase? I need my beauty sleep." 

"It's only been an hour or two, Selina. We're going to take you to the hospital. Dr. Dundee has something he wants to try." 

She put her pale arm over her eyes. "Don't wanna go to the hospital. What if Bruce comes back?" 

The boy clenched his hands tightly. "I don't think he'll be back before we get done, Selina. Dr. Dundee wants to try a whole blood transfusion. I'm not sure it'll work, but I'm not sure of anything right now." 

She shivered. "Is it colder in here, Jason? I just can't get warm enough, it seems." 

He looked downward. 

"Oh, hell," she said. "I'm sorry, Jason. Didn't mean to upset you." 

Jason's eyes were dry but sad as he showed her his face again. She guessed he was pretty well cried out by now. "I wanted to show you somethin', Selina. Before you went, I mean." 

"Sure," she said. "What is it?" 

He stepped back and rolled a wheelchair up to her cot. "Get in and I'll show you." 

As he wheeled Selina past Hecate's cage, the panther growled. "Hey, man, I'm only taking her for a minute," protested Jason. 

"Behave yourself, Hecate," said Selina. "He's a friend of ours." 

The panther subsided and Jason rolled Selina over the uneven limestone floor to another section, well off of the main Batcave body. "I'm not sure if it was Bruce or Alfred told me about it, Selina, but I heard about the time Bruce brought you down here to see something." 

"Oh. The cat-stalagmite?" she said. "Yeah. That was kinda nice. Even though he was trying to put us off again, for as long as possible." 

Jason took a breath. "He told me that he showed you the stalagmite that looked like a cat, and the stalactite on the ceiling growing down to it. He said that--" 

"He said that they were growing together, and that someday we might grow together, too," said Selina. "But the Crisis sort of pushed us together a lot faster. I'm glad it did. So you want me to see the stalagmite, Jason?" 

"Yeah," he said. And with that, he pushed her and the wheelchair into the very section of cave they had spoken of. 

There was the stalagmite that did look somewhat like a cat, in the lighting Batman had installed. 

And above it was the stalactite, hanging down from the ceiling. 

Between them, they had been connected by a pillar of quick-drying cement. 

She looked back at Jason. 

"I went ahead and did it," he said. "Maybe it's sorta saying that we can make things come together ourselves, if we want to." He paused. "Maybe it's kinda dumb, I don't know. But I didn't want to leave things like they were." 

Selina Wayne put a chilly hand on Jason's warmer one. 

"I'm gonna love having you as a son," she said. "Okay. Help me get ready for Dr. Dundee." 

He turned her wheelchair around and started back. Frequently, he bit the interior of his mouth to keep himself from crying. 

-B- 

Batman led the way into Geo-Force's cell. His would be the hardest imprisonment to undo. 

The sight of the man imprisoned by the four globes confining his limbs sickened Batman. The smell of Prince Brion's sweat, the haggard condition of his face, the state of his muscles...no question about it. Geo-Force had been tortured. The gorge rose in Batman's throat. He tamped it down with the greatest of difficulties. One more thing for which to make Kobra pay. One more rage piled on the furnace. 

But Brion looked up, and despite his pain, smiled. "I knew you would come, friend Batman." 

Batman came closer and vouchsafed Geo-Force a brief smile. "Hearing that from you, after the way we once parted company, Brion, almost makes the entire thing worthwhile." 

"That is past affairs, and best forgotten," said the Markovian prince. "Lia, darling, how fare you? Were you harmed?" 

Looker smiled, stepped up, and took Brion's head between her hands. "No, hon. They damped down my powers, but they didn't do anything else to me. I just wish we could say the same of you." 

Silently, Brion nodded. 

"Hold on, Brion, we'll get you out of those things," said Halo, and prepared to unleash an aura. 

"No, Halo!" warned Geo-Force, hoarsely. "Touch one of these globes, and unbearable pain rushes through my body. I would not mention this were I able to withstand the punishment, but I fear it would render me unconscious. I would be a burden to you, not an asset." 

Looker glanced at King Faraday. "Maybe we can help him out. Batman told me you were a master hypnotist." 

The agent in the Cultist garb responded. "I'm good, sweetheart, but it takes a few minutes to induce a trance. You've got super-powers. Maybe you can get to him faster than I could." 

Katana said, "One hates to point obvious things out, but we are undoubtedly only minutes away from being attacked by our foes and Kobra's hordes. The time has come to act." 

"Let 'em come," said the Creeper, blowing on his knuckles. "I could use a few cracked jaws at this point in the game." 

"Save it, Creeper," ordered Batman. "Looker, put Brion under. King, be ready to help if you can. Halo, once they judge him ready, do you think you can break those globes off?" 

The hovering girl smiled. "Betcha I'm the only one here who can." 

"Do it, Lia," said Brion, lifting his head to meet her gaze dead-on. The look in his eyes was one of love, and that made it all the easier for the woman with the eyes of power to do what she had to. 

Within three seconds, a hypnotic connection was made between Looker's and Geo-Force's mind. 

Your body is numb,> said Looker. You will feel no sensation at all. No pleasure, no pain. You will sustain this numbness though the gates of Hell were loosed against you. You will feel absolutely no pain. Do you agree?> 

Yes,> said Geo-Force. I agree that I will feel no pain.> 

King Faraday was already reflecting the light rhythmically off the surface of his cigarette lighter to reinforce Geo-Force's trance in his traditional hypnotist's way. "Geo, can you hear me?" 

"Yes, I can hear you," said Brion. 

"Whatever she's doing to you, I'm reinforcing those orders. Your will to do what she has told you has been redoubled. Do you understand?" 

"I understand," he said. 

"Okay," said Faraday. "Even if you were tied split-legged to a log headed for a buzzsaw, you wouldn't feel a thing. Got that?" 

"I understand," repeated Geo-Force. 

Batman said, "Do it, Halo." 

Plastic Man, Metamorpho, Element Girl, Creeper, Katana, and Talia looked on. The most dangerous part of the operation was about to begin. 

"Footsteps," said Katana. 

"Go defend," said Batman. 

The five heroes headed out the doorway. 

Halo, murmuring a prayer, glowed orange. She forced the power through her hands, encircled the globe holding Geo-Force's right wrist, and bore down. 

Batman, looking on, tensed. Was Brion registering pain? If so, he wasn't showing it. Looker was still bravely looking into her lover's eyes, the blue beam from her own orbs bridging the gap between them. King Faraday was smoking, saying nothing. Talia was also silent. 

With a great crack and a spark, the first globe exploded. 

"Only three more to go," said Halo. "Courage, Brion." 

Geo-Force maintained his silence. 

Halo went for the globe on his left foot next. Another exertion, another spark and blast. This time, they did not miss the slight jerk that shook Geo-Force's frame. 

"Brion, did that hurt?", asked Halo, concernedly. 

"Of course not," said Brion. 

"Hurry, Halo," urged Batman. 

With another movement of her hand-beam, Halo went for the globe on Brion's left wrist. Batman and Talia moved to hold him about the midsection. The daughter of Ra's Al Ghul looked into his eyes and it was not hard to read the ardor and, yes, the love there. 

He hoped he had not given her that much back. 

Another sparking and popping. Geo-Force groaned, "UHN!" 

"Brion, you're hurt," said Halo. "Maybe--" 

"I," said Brion, with an effort, "am not hurt. I am needed. Finish the job." 

"Go on, Halo," said Batman, grimly. 

Talia said, "My love, your exterior is all glacier hardness and frost. But your interior is as warm as a hearth. Do not deny it." 

He bared his teeth. "This is not the time for that! Halo, finish up." 

So the blonde girl in the black costume with the colorful striping set her jaw, exerted her power once again, and pressured the fourth globe. 

Looker's hands were on Geo's shoulders as her beam increased to its highest intensity. Batman didn't miss the look of anxiety in her face. But she, too, would soldier on. 

Geo-Force's teeth were clenched, hard. 

The globe bulged, resisted, expanded about its middle. 

Then, like its fellows, it sparked with a blinding flash and burst. 

Geo-Force cried out in a wail of pain which he was only able to shorten, not stifle. He sagged, liberated, against the strong body of the Batman, the lithe form of Talia, and the warm and welcome one of Looker. 

"It's over, soldier," said Batman. "It's over. We're done." 

Geo-Force's knees had been sagging towards the stone floor. Abruptly, he threw his head back, his eyes closed, and stood upright, forcing his allies to shift their positions. 

His face looked, to Batman, like that of a war survivor. 

"It is not over," said Brion, trying not to gasp. "Lead me outside. We must defeat our foes. We must save Markovia. And your wife." 

Batman said, "Do you think you can stand on your own, Brion?" 

Looker gave her commander a stern gaze. 

Geo-Force pushed the three of them away, gently. "I can stand. And I can fight." 

-B- 

Kobra had already dressed himself in a business suit and taken a valise for the journey. His concubine Eve stood beside him, primly clad in a knee-length blue skirt, white blouse, and blue blazer. Both were standing on a platform that would enhance the teleportational faculties of the device in his belt, which had gotten him out of more than one tight spot in the past. 

The Cobra Cultists who attended him were aware of the battle about to be waged near the prison section of their base. Most of them kept their mouths shut, except to offer information when asked. One of them, however, had less experience with Naja-Naja than the others. He raised his head. 

"Lord Naja," he began. "Would it not be more prudent for you to remain and direct the battle? Without your leadership, things may go awry." 

The masked and costumed men stiffened. Even Eve's eyes widened. Kobra, looking very calm, stepped off the platform. He went and stood before the one who had spoken. 

:"My son," he said, "with the proper incentive, I am sure my men and hirelings can complete the operation." 

Then he opened his mouth. And from it a long, artificial tongue whipped out, as quick as the cobra from which he took his name. It encircled the Cultist's neck, choking him, strangling him, causing him to grasp its coils. Desperately, he grasped a dagger from his suit and sought to sever the strangling tongue. 

Kobra grasped his wrist and held it firmly, using his other hand to direct a karate blow to a certain area of the man's chest. 

Within a few seconds, it was over. Kobra retracted his tongue. The mortal clay that had been the questioning Cultist slumped to the floor. Naja-Naja looked upon his servants, whose armpits were stained with sweat. 

"I trust now that you have the proper incentive," he said, smiling. 

"Oh, yes, Lord Naja!" they responded. "Oh, yes!" 

Saying nothing more, Kobra reascended the platform and stood with his arm about Eve. In another second, their forms flickered and they were gone. 

-B- 

"We've got to go," said Old Robin, succinctly. "I've never fought this guy, but if he's menacing Gotham, it's our duty." 

Batgirl nodded, adjusting her utility belt. "I've fought him once, beside Batman. He's one of the deadliest customers around. He can poison you just with his body." 

"He injured Hawkman," reminded the Huntress. "I know how dangerous this character is. I saw Carter's burns. But we're down from peak strength." 

"If a couple of oldsters like us are going, the rest of you shouldn't have a problem," said Batwoman, making sure her mask was affixed tightly. "Alfred and a big squad of cops are guarding Selina's hospital room while they do the transfusion. Young Dick's already gone with Kory and the rest. So that leaves it in our hands." 

Flamebird looked at her and at Karl Kyle. "You know, the two of you don't have to come. You're not really in condition for this kind of fight. We'll have a tough enough time, and we're, well, younger." 

Karl looked at her dispassionately. "We'll do all right, missy. And yes, I know this thing is just too convienient, happening just when Selina's going into the hospital. But you all have a duty to Gotham's people, just like we've got an obligation to family. Right now, we're the only ones left. Since Kathy and I are with you--that makes it our fight." 

Seriously, Batgirl said, "Wait till you see what he looks like in real life. Then you may reconsider." 

"I've gone up against the Joker, Two-Face, the Clock, the Scarecrow, and all the other bad boys," said Robin. "If I was going to start running, I would have done it a long time ago. And I'm not about to start up now. Okay, Bat-Squad, let's get it in gear." 

"We're ready," said the young Robin, Jason Todd, resolutely. Batgirl knew he wanted to be with Selina at the hospital, and wondered if that wouldn't have been the better choice. 

The seven of them were the only ones left in the mansion, as Julia and Daphne Pennyworth were at Gotham General along with Selina and Alfred. Thus, there was no danger of their identities being compromised as they rushed, in costume, to the library of Wayne Manor, went through the grandfather clock door, and hurried to their vehicles in the Batcave. Several seconds later, they emerged from the concealed exit ramp, on motorcycles and in a Batmobile. 

On her Batcycle, the wind whipping her face, Batgirl opened a radio channel to her father. "What's it looking like from there, Commissioner?" 

The voice of James Gordon came back. "He's still on the bridge support. I've got a couple of choppers up there, with a sniper team. But I'm not sure whether or not the bullets would bring him down. Plus, he hasn't really threatened anyone yet, just holding up traffic on both sides of te bridge. You still want first crack at him?" 

"It's our job, Commissioner," she said, resisting the impulse to call him "Dad." "We'll be there in a few minutes." 

"I hope so. Out," said Gordon. 

Batgirl closed the channel. She fought down the impulse to turn the Batcycle around and head back to the safety of Wayne Manor, or to proceed in the direction of Gotham General to safeguard Selina. Karl Kyle was probably right about it being a setup. 

But when Dr. Phosphorus was on the loose, they didn't really have a choice. 

-B- 

In an apartment elsewhere in Gotham City, a woman watched the TV coverage of Phosphorus sitting atop the pillar of the Gotham Narrows Bridge. He glowed like a Fourth of July sparkler, and his bones were visible in X-ray fashion. Dr. Phosphorus was a scary customer, all right. 

But what scared her most was what her husband was going to do about it. 

He opened the door. It was hard for her to steel herself to the sight of his altered form. The last time he had done this, he had gone berserk. He assured her the dosage was the correct one, this time, and he was firmly in control. But she remembered how it had been when she herself had changed, and she harbored doubts. 

"You sure you have to do this?" 

He nodded. 

"Even though you have a daughter?" 

"Yes," he said. "Take good care of her till I get back." 

"If you get back." 

He said nothing. Instead, he went to the window, opened it, and was gone. 

She held their daughter to her breast and did not dare look after him as he left. 

-B- 

Within Gotham General, Doctor Dundee was already in the process of replacing Selina Kyle's entire blood supply with new, hopefully untainted, pints. He accepted the fact that several of the persons inside the treatment room, also clad in green surgical gear, were armed police officers. There was nothing else to be done about it, and he understood their necessity. 

Selina herself was terribly weak. If it was not a last-chance thing, he would not have risked this undertaking. But it might buy her a bit more life-time, if not totally cure her. Dundee could not face himself another day without having done something substantial in her cause. Thankfully, Selina had consented to it, provided she was allowed to convalesce in Wayne Manor as soon as it was done. 

Jason had wanted to be by her side, but Alfred disallowed it. Instead, Jason had gone with the Bat-Squad, and Alfred was sitting outside with his granddaughter Julia and his niece, Daphne. They tried to make small talk. Julia told of how she was getting on at Picture News, under the editorship of Vicki Vale, and Daphne, after a little coaxing from Alfred, told anecdotes of her life as an actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

For his own part, Alfred told a few stories of serving in the underground in France during the Second World War, and kept most of his commentary about Master Bruce fairly vague. If he seemed a bit distant, Julia chalked it up to his concern with Selina. 

He was actually hoping and praying that another squad of Cobra Cultists wouldn't assault the hospital and attempt to finish what their fellows had failed at, earlier. True, Gordon had stationed a force of good men about the mistress. But they had never faced fanatics quite like Kobra's men. Alfred well knew that their earlier victory was due to surprise as much as anything. 

A man in an orderly's uniform walked by the hallway and briefly noted their presence outside. An old man and two women. Hardly a threat to him. The big problem would be the police guards outside and inside the transfusion chamber. He decided to wait until they brought her out and took her to her room. 

It wasn't that he had that much against Catwoman. True, she had stood against him, along with Batman and Robin, some months past. But his real rage was still directed against Nocturna, and she was absent since that time of confrontation, when she drifted away, wounded, in a hot-air balloon that was knocked out of the red skies by a storm. He was persuaded that she had survived, since her body was not found. 

The killing of Catwoman would be a statement. A "come and get me" that would bring Nocturna out of hiding. True, he would have to deal with Batman when the masked man came back from wherever he was. But he had fought him before, and almost prevailed. 

Usually, he struck at night. Usually, he wore an all-black costume. 

But the Night-Slayer compromised where he had to. 

He also hoped that nobody found the stiff of the real orderly whose uniform and i.d. he had appropriated before he had a chance to wet the same dagger that had killed the chump with the blood of Selina Kyle. 

Whether it was her own, or some she'd borrowed from other people. 

-B- 

Finally, they stood together, still within the prison unit of Kobra's mountain fastness, but prepared. Batman, Katana, Metamorpho, Geo-Force, Halo, Katana, Plastic Man, the Creeper, Element Girl, Black Lightning, King Faraday, and Talia. 

Twelve against ten super-villains and several hundred Cobra Cultists. Fair enough odds. 

"I don't have to remind you what's at stake," he said to his troops. "Only that failure is not an option. No matter how many stand against us." 

"Give my regards to the Great White Way, Bats," said Faraday. "Just hope I can make up for some of the trouble I've caused you." 

"I'm ready," said Looker. "I think I can speak for the rest of us in that, too." 

Plastic Man, his wounded hand swathed in an elastic bandage scrounged from a medical supply box in the prison, nodded. "It'll be a privelage to finish things up beside all of you. I've had a few bad turns in my life, but this may be where I can make 'em all straight." 

"We ain't done in yet," said Black Lightning, smacking his hands together with a crackle and spark. "Let's rumble, Bats!" 

Batman looked at him,briefly, and went to the door of the unit. He sprayed some acid from a vial in his utility belt on the lock. After enough of the metal had sizzled away, he kicked it open. 

Metamorpho filled the gap in the doorway as a calcium shield, receiving blasts of cold and fire on his surface. He thrust forward like a battering ram, bowling over Heatstroke, Coldsnap, and several others of their foes. 

The others came behind him, and looked upon a sea of enemies. 

"Looks like we've been expected," said Batman, with a grim smile. 

The battle was joined. 

To be continued...   
  



	17. Chapter 19

bato19a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 19 

by DarkMark 

Julia Remarque and Alfred and Daphne Pennyworth were stunned by what Selina Wayne had just told them. The old butler had to sit down. However old he was, he looked to have aged twice that, in his eyes. 

"Oh, dear me," he said. "Oh, dear God. Oh, my dear mistress Selina." 

Selina, in her hospital bed, reached out and took Alfred's hand with both of hers to reassure him. "Alfred. It's okay. There was no way you could have known." 

"He's right, uncle Alfred," said Daphne, glad to have finally had the chance to talk to Bruce's wife. It was the first chance she and Julia had to do that since before the wedding. "You can't blame yourself for somebody wanting to hurt Selina." 

"I can blame myself, child, for not being quick-witted enough to know in what location the mistress was most vulnerable," said Alfred, sorrowfully. "If not for an equally unknown agent, the Nocturna woman, the master would be coming home to...to...well, never mind that. I am unconscionably derelict in my duties. I am guilty of the most heinous oversight. Indeed--" He sighed greatly. "I am unworthy of being a Pennyworth." 

"Oh, stop it," insisted Selina. 

"Oh, granddad, shut up!" barked Julia. "Do you expect to be the Batman or something? Did you want to crawl on top of the elevator car with a machine gun and lie in wait? You're a butler, for heaven's sake! You're my grandfather! You're not the--" 

"Julia, please," said Catwoman. Then, to Alfred, she said, "Listen to me. You have performed admirably, Alfred. I can't go on about everything right here--" She squeezed his hand, to signify remembrance of his stand against Kobra's men in the Batcave. "--But I don't think I've seen a man so gentlemanly, and so brave, as you, except for my husband. And that's going a long, long way." 

"Mistress Selina, I should have known," Alfred insisted. 

"How?" 

"I was in the Resistance," he said. "In World War II. I fought the Nazis undercover, in France. That is where I met Julia's grandmother. With her--" He hung his head. "With her, I failed as well." 

Julia grasped her grandfather by the vest and made him face her. "Grandpere, if you insist on blaming yourself for everything to go wrong with all our lives, then blame yourself for Selina's poisoning, and Bruce's and Jason's lost parents, and the time I fell down and fractured my leg skating, and the lousy grades I got in college algebra. Why not condemn yourself for all of those things, too?" 

"I couldn't have prevented those things," said Alfred. "This, I could have foreseen. I was--" 

"Alfred, look at me," said Selina. 

He did. 

She looked to him like a teacher who has just had enough of the most boisterous prankster in her class. 

"Would you like me to give you a taste of the old cat o' nine tails? I've still got one, you know." 

"Mistress Selina, I--" 

"Or maybe I should have you clean out Hecate's cage, while he's still in it. How's about that, Alfred?" 

"Mistress Selina, don't be absurd." 

"What? Me absurd? Well, that's fine, Alfred. If I'm being absurd, maybe I fit in just peachy-keen around here. Because you thinking that you can protect me from everything under the shining sun is the most absurd thing I've ever heard of!" 

For a second, Alfred stared. Then he smiled, a bit wanly. 

"Yes, well," he said, "one does try." 

"One certainly does, Alfred," said Selina with a smile. "And nobody around here tries harder than you. Now you go warm up the van and leave me to the girls here, and the guardboys outside." 

"With all due haste, Mistress," Alfred said, rising. "And from henceforth, know that your fate and person rely in no more reliable hands than those of Alfred Pennyworth." 

Daphne shook her blonde head. "Truthfully, uncle, sometimes from the way you speak I think you've forgotten more Shakespeare than I ever learned. But I love it." 

Alfred stepped outside, nodded briefly to the guards, and was stopped a few paces down the hall by Dr. Dundee. He was still in his white coat, and the message his eyes sent belied his smile. "Alfred," he said, "could I speak with you in private for a minute?" 

"But of course, Doctor," replied Alfred, and walked with him a bit further down the hall. Once they were out of earshot of the room, Dundee placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "We always have to deal in cliches around here," he said. "The one I'll use this time is, 'There's good news and bad news.' Unfortunately, it's the truth." 

The butler steeled himself. "And, sir?" 

"The bad news is that...well, let's start with the good news. We've bought her enough time so that when her husband comes back with the antidote, she'll be alive to take it." 

Alfred looked haggard. "And...one would assume...the bad news is always what it has been, sir." 

Dundee nodded, unsmilingly. "That it is. I'll speak to Mrs. Wayne, now. Could you help me get your relatives out of the room?" 

The gentleman's gentleman stood up straight, put his grief in a steel box, and locked it. "With all due alacrity, sir. With all due alacrity." 

-B- 

The whole thing was souring. Faced with that, even in the face of a Kobra reprisal, the Masters of Disaster and the Fearsome Five had one well-used option: get the hell out of there. 

Thus, they had gotten to Kobra's hangar, tried to persuade some of the Kobra men of their need for transportation, and, when that failed, had Mammoth heave one Cultist into the rafters while Shimmer turned the weapons of five others into helium gas. 

New-Wave had coldly addressed the others. "We haven't killed anybody yet. If you want us to start, get in our way." 

One of the younger Cultists had started forward, gun in hand. His squad leader stopped him with an arm across his chest. "No, my son," he said. "These mercenaries are not our true targets. Our real foes lie within. If we neglect them because of these, how much greater will Naja-Naja's wrath be upon our heads?" 

"Glad you've decided to see the light of reason," said Psimon. "That way, I won't have to boil the blood out of any of you." 

The Cobra Cultists stood by while New-Wave, Heatstroke, Shakedown, Syonide, and Coldsnap boarded one aircraft, and Psimon, Shimmer, Mammoth, Gizmo, and Jinx entered the other. New-Wave, the last to board her craft, turned to Jinx, who was on the steps of the Fearsome Five's plane. 

"Maybe we can do this again sometime," she said. 

"Perhaps," said the Indian villainess. "If it is against the Titans." 

Then both got in, the hatches closed, the engines fired up, and both planes took off. The hidden hatch on the side of the mountain was already open to allow them to leave. 

The Cultist who had wanted to attack them stood watching their departure. "Totally unreliable," he said, disgustedly. 

"I agree," said his superior. "Impossible to buy good help these days. Come." 

-B- 

The Titans' aircraft had just breached the horizon in time to see the two planes taking off. It wasn't hard to identify them as Kobra craft. 

"Well," said Nightwing. "Kory. Raven. Find out who's on board. Can you match their speed?" 

"We can try, Dick," said Starfire. 

"And we shall," said the cloaked girl who was seeming stranger every day. 

Both of them hurried to the escape hatch in the back section, where Starfire threw a lever that opened a bomb-bay door in the floor. Air screamed by below. Without a word, both of them leapt into it, were flung headlong into the slipstream, and managed to take control of themselves with their flight powers seconds afterwards. 

The Kobra planes were swift indeed, but hadn't quite built up to full speed yet. Raven was in her soulform, a black, glowing, birdlike shape. Starfire left a trail of reddish heat behind her as she strove to reach the lead plane. 

She couldn't quite be certain, but she was close enough to look at the cockpit window and see what appeared to be a familiar face. Shimmer, with that wild hairdo of hers, piloting the plane. Starfire pulled up, soaring above the level of the craft, and turned on a throat-mike. 

"I think it's the Fearsome Five on board, Nightwing," she said. "Want to engage?" 

"Let me give 'em a warning," Dick's radioed voice said through her earpiece. "If our friends are on board, I want to know." 

Cyborg, Changeling, Kole, Kid Flash, and Speedy sat silent and tense as their leader switched to a common broadcast band for planes. "Attention, Fearsome Five. Attention, Fearsome Five. This is Nightwing of the New Titans. Repeat, this is your old friend Nightwing. Either land, or get ready to come down the hard way. Over." 

"Man, I sure hope you been readin' enough Smilin' Jack," muttered Cyborg. 

A voice, familiar to them all, came to them over the dashboard speaker. "All right, Nightwing, this is Shimmer. Let me give you a piece of advice. My crew is in one plane, the Masters of Disaster are in the other. We're not looking for a fight here, but we can damned well give you one if you want it. However. Batman and his boys aren't with us, they're back in that mountain, fighting about enough Cobra Cultists to make a cast call for The Ten Commandments. You can waste your time with us, or you can wave bye-bye and go help your big buddies. Assuming there's enough left of them to help. Which is it gonna be?" 

Kole said, "A bluff. It could be a bluff, Dick." 

"Don't think so," said Speedy. "If they're clearing out, it probably means that Bats and his boys have gotten loose and are kickin' serious backside." 

A message came from Raven. "The Masters of Disaster appear to be on the second plane, Dick, but no one else. Should I engage?" 

Nightwing paused a moment, then said, "No, come on back," on Raven's wavelength. 

"Is that certain?" 

"It's certain," he confirmed. 

Shimmer's voice returned. "Well? What is it, Batboy?" 

Nightwing switched back to her frequency. "All right, puffball-head. For now, we'll let you go.   
But if I find out you've been giving me disinformation, we'll crawl up your backs so fast you won't have time to feel it before we're there. Clear? Over." 

"Acknowledged, Little Bat. See you next time. Out." 

Nightwing said, "Come on back, Kory," and then gritted his teeth as he watched the two planes pass them and vanish over the horizon. 

Changeling took the form of a goat. "Hope they haven't made us all one of what I am," he said. 

"Just as long as you're not in the shape of a jackass," said Speedy, tiredly. 

Dick Grayson ignored them both and slackened speed, making for the landing field near the mountain. 

-B- 

Within that mountain, Batman had just explained his escape plan to the Outsiders. "It's risky, but it's our best chance of getting out of here without further killing," he said. "On either side." 

Katana had wiped the blood off her blade with some paper which she carried in her costume and said nothing. Black Lightning glanced in her direction. 

Metamorpho said, "I'm ready to get out of here, too, Bats. Let's give it a try. Ready, Rainie?" 

The green-haired Element Girl nodded. "As ready as I can be. Let's go for it, Rex." 

"Halo, Geo, Looker," said Batman, "prepare yourselves." 

"I'll secure the perimeter against cockroaches, sir," cracked the Creeper. 

Plastic Man looked at him and made a face. The Creeper grinned and considered jumping on his shoulders, but this wasn't the time or place for that. 

The Element People grasped each other, body to body, and transformed themselves. Looker, watching them, had to admit that it took her breath away to see such a magical feat. Both Rex and Rainie could transform themselves into any shape, any element contained by the human body. 

Right now, their intertwined forms became carbon, then altered to a very hard form of it. The lights which still functioned gleamed off their diamond forms. Their bodies elongated, spiked, grew a spiraling thread. 

The two of them had become a large diamond drill. 

Talia barely concealed her awe of their transformation. "By the crescent," she breathed. "To know such wonders are to be found in this world. Like something out of the Arabian Nights." 

Batman said, "We work with miracles daily. Looker, start now." 

The redheaded beauty exerted her mental strength and formed an invisible support-web that kept the ceiling in place. She felt confident she could hold it. She just hoped they'd have enough time. 

"Geo, do it," said Batman. 

The king of Markovia pointed both hands above him, towards the ceiling. He seemed to be exercising great force, if his expression was any key. His hands, close together, began to part. 

And with them parted the ceiling, with a great and powerful cracking. 

"Halo," barked Batman. 

"Aye aye, sir," she responded, and exerted one of her halo-powers on the drill that was Rex and Rainie. It rose towards the ceiling, its sharp bit pointed into the crack that Geo-Force had formed, and began to spin. 

It drilled through the next level and kept going. 

"Under it," said Batman. "All of us. Looker, second phase." 

Batman, Black Lightning, Katana, the Creeper, King Faraday, Plastic Man, and Talia gathered under the hole that the drill had made, Looker's mental powers forming a force field over them, around them, under them. Talia reached out and touched the field, to assure herself it was there. Katana's eyes did not leave her. 

"Lift us," said Batman. 

Pushing her force field up from the floor, Looker began to make them all rise, in a mentally-powered elevator. She gathered speed as the Metapeoples' drill, sped by Halo, cut further and faster. 

On the second level, some perplexed Cobra Cultists saw them and tried to shoot at them. The bullets didn't penetrate the force field. 

"See y'all later," waved Black Lightning, as they continued through the ceiling. 

Looker had to stop supporting the ceiling of the level they had come through. She let it go. The floor beneath the Cultists began to creak. They looked at each other, uneasily. 

Then the floor buckled, and the host of them fell through with appropriate shrieks. 

-B- 

Commissioner Gordon made sure Dr. Phosphorus was in his specially-insulated cell before he went to Gotham General, which, not coincidentally, was where the Bat-Squad had taken Man-Bat. On the way there, he learned that Anton Knight was in custody for attempting a strike on Selina Wayne. He was about to tell them to get the guards responsible for it and chew their asses out until he learned that one of them had recently gotten out of surgery for a knife wound to the throat. 

So the Commish had himself drven to General, flashed his authorization at the appropriate points, and found he had gotten there too late to see Selina Wayne, who was being driven back to Wayne Manor under heavy guard. However, Man-Bat was still there, as were Batgirl and Flamebird. The rest of the Squad had taken their leave. 

He entered the room and saw the hairy, grotesque form of Man-Bat with bandages on his hands and foot, lying in bed, in a hospital johnny. The two women looked up at him. "Good evening, Commissioner," said Batgirl, saying "Hello, Daddy" with her eyes. 

"Hi, Commish," said Man-Bat, with what Gordon hoped was a smile. 

"Commissioner," said Flamebird, stepping forward to shake his hand. "It's been a long time." 

Gingerly, Gordon shook it. "You've got the advantage on me, Miss. I don't recognize the costume, but..." 

"I used to be Bat-Girl," explained Flamebird. "The old Bat-Girl." 

"Oh," said Gordon. "Well. It's good to see you again, Miss, eh..." 

"Flamebird," said Batgirl. "That's what she calls herself now, sir." 

"Well, then. Miss Flamebird. Congratulations to you and the rest of the, eh, Bat-Squad?, on the operation today. Except for that helicopter, it was quite satisfactory." 

"Wouldn't have been if not for Manny here," said Batgirl, nodding to the hairy hero. 

"Yes, I know," said Gordon, stepping over and gingerly holding out his hand to Man-Bat, knowing the thing could pulp it if he squeezed too hard. "My congratulations, sir." 

Man-Bat took the hand in his good mitt and shook it. "Pleasure was all mine, Commish. I'm glad I can make up for some of the off-periods I've had in my life, lately." 

"We've had some problems before in the past," said Gordon, carefully. "You can be a very dangerous...man...at times. I would like assurances that such will not be the case, if you intend to keep using this...form of yours." 

"Commissioner," said Man-Bat, "all I can say is that I've stabilized the formula, that it's not going to drive me around the bend anymore, and that I'm going to try and reestablish myself as a working-stiff hero. And all I'd like to ask of you is the opportunity to try." 

Gordon rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to report to others. I'm not the mayor or the District Attorney. It isn't mine alone to say." 

Batgirl stepped in. "Commissioner. If we make Man-Bat a member of our Bat-Squad, that'll mean the rest of us will be around to keep him on an even keel, in case that bat-formula of his freaks again. I've worked with Manny before, several times. He's a good man to have on our side, believe me." 

Flamebird said, "He really saved our bacon up there. Batgirl was going to become a hostage in Robin's place." 

Gordon hoped he controlled his expression. "Well. Would this mean he would have to learn your true identities?" 

"Only among those who chose to share it with him," said Batgirl, emphatically. Which meant, No, I won't tell him I'm your daughter unless you say it's okay. 

The phone light lit up. Since the staff was keeping extra security precautions on this room, that meant it had to be important. "Excuse me," said Man-Bat, and reached out with one hirsute, long-fingered hand for the receiver. He pressed down the lighted button with his fingernail, not his finger. 

"Yes? Okay? Put them on." He took the receiver away from his mouth. "Commissioner, it's my...one of my family. I'd like some privacy, if it's all right." 

"Quite all right," said Gordon. "I'd like to speak to Batgirl in private a moment." 

"We can use the bathroom for that," she said. "If it's all right." 

"I'll be outside," said Flamebird, and stepped out the door. 

Gordon and Batgirl went inside the small rest room and shut the door. He was first to speak. "I know all about facing danger, Barbara. But it isn't easy to hear that Dr. Phosphorus almost had you in his hands." 

Batgirl leaned against a wall. "No easier than when Mom and I had to wait for you to get back from a crime scene, Dad. It runs in the family." 

"Maybe it's run a bit too deep," said Gordon. "I don't think I could take the sight of having to identify you on a slab in the morgue someday." 

Batgirl met his gaze evenly. "I knew the risks when I put on this suit, Dad. I'm not taking it off yet. Especially not when Batman is out of town." 

"You know who he is, don't you?" 

"I'm not going to answer that question. Ever." 

"Do you know where he is?" 

"All I know is that he's out there looking for a cure for Mrs. Wayne. And when he finds one, he'll be back." 

Gordon scratched his shoulder blade. "All the recent occurrences, spokes of a very big wheel, I'm sure. I take it that Batman and his group are striking at the hub of that wheel?" 

"They're trying to, yes. I guess we'll know when they get back." 

"Barbara," he said. "You've grown up to be one of the most beautiful women I've ever known. Outside of my wife, there's no other woman I care for more. Isn't it time..." 

She shook her masked head. "No. Sorry, Dad. Not as long as there's a job out there, one that I can see to. Now, I hate to say it, but I've got to go. Work tomorrow, and a date with Jason afterward, if nothing comes up." 

"If nothing comes up," repeated Gordon. "Do you think that's likely?" 

"Given the way things have gone lately, no," said Batgirl. "But we can hope for it. Good night, Dad." 

Jim Gordon took his costumed daughter in his arms, kissed her cheek, and hugged her fiercely in the confined space. She hugged him back. 

Then both of them left the bathroom and said goodbye to Man-Bat, and went their separate ways. 

-B- 

The Titans' aircraft made a safe landing on the field and its occupants piled out rapidly. There were some signs that a plane or planes had landed there recently before theirs. Nobody had to guess whose it was. 

"Signal still coming in?" asked Wally West. 

Nightwing checked the device he held in his hand. "Muted, but still sending," he said. "Kobra's probably got blocking devices in that mountain, but Hawkman helped him design this beeper. I don't think there's anything on Earth that can block it."   
Changeling shifted his form to that of a green tiger. "So, Wing, when do we get to invite some of those Cobras to dinner?" 

"Pretty quick," confirmed Dick Grayson. "Got to find a way in there. But be cautious. This is a cult that goes back over a hundred years, and they're not unlike the Thugs. The Cobras are more likely to sleep well after a good killing. So..." 

They heard a noise, which carried even over the short distance between them and the mountain. 

Part of the great hill was opening up, about three-quarters of the way up. Rocks were cascading down its side from that point. The sound of a dull buzz could be heard. The young heroes waited and watched. 

Within seconds, a gleaming drill protruded from the side of the mountain. 

"Well," said Cyborg, as he started forward, "guess that solves the problem of how we get in." 

-B- 

Hal Jordan was less than happy. In the time since the wedding of Batman, the entirety of the JLA had not managed to make headway on finding who was responsible for the poisoning of Catwoman. He'd heard of the attacks on her since then, which made him curse himself for not just taking her to the JLA Satellite against her will. At least she'd be safe there. 

Though, if Kobra was involved, as some reports indicated he might be, even that might not be safe. 

In two days, he was going to be married to Carol Ferris. There was too blasted much to do, at work, with the Corps members on Earth, with the wedding preps, and, yes, with the League. 

On top of that, the State Department had forwarded a request for the League to show up at a ceremony in Markovia having to do with some new atom-smasher or something along that line. The message specifically insisted on the League's presence. It had come from Dr. Helen Jace. 

If it hadn't been her, Hal would have blown the entire thing off. But he knew she was associated with the Outsiders. And the Outsiders weren't available at the moment. 

Guess he'd have to bite the bullet and join the JLA there tomorrow. 

It'd only be for a few hours, and what the hell. 

It wasn't going to kill him. 

To be continued...   
  



	18. Chapter 20

bato20a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 20 

by DarkMark 

Selina Kyle was overjoyed to see Bruce Wayne entering her room, opening his arms, coming closer to her bed... 

Then he wasn't there at all. A real bummer, to be sure. 

"Bruce?", she called out. "Are you here, Bruce?" 

The door opened. Alfred stepped inside, quickly, followed by Daphne and then Jason. The butler took her hand and felt her pulse. Normal, but...she felt so warm. 

"It's Alfred, mistress Selina," he said, a trifle louder than normal. "Daphne and master Jason are with me as well." He nodded to Daphne and pointed to a thermometer in a holder. Wordlessly, the blonde woman took it out and handed it to him. Jason grasped Selina's other hand. 

Selina closed her eyes. "I'm hallucinating, aren't I, Alfred? I was seeing Bruce. Should have known it'd be an illusion." 

"Don't talk that way, Selina," insisted Jason. "Bruce'll be back. You'll see. If there's anybody that can get help for you, it's him!" 

Alfred said, "Open your mouth, Selina. This is a thermometer." She obeyed, and he stuck it in the corner of her mouth. 

Daphne Pennyworth felt Selina's forehead. It was sweaty to the touch. She was not a nurse, but she didn't have to be to note the woman's high temperature. She also noted Selina's odor, as little as she liked to admit it. The medicinal smell came out in her sweat. The smell, God help them all, of poison. 

Watching her, Alfred noted the telltale trembling of her hands. Fever sign. He could almost tell what the reading would be without taking the instrument out of her mouth. 

"How much more time do I have," said Selina, around the thermometer, "before the last-minute rescue?" 

"Mistress Selina," said Alfred, "shut up." 

-B- 

The drill that emerged from Kobra's mountain formed itself into two multicolored individuals, with a host of heroes following, some flying under their own power, others supported by Looker's levitation abilities. They quickly saw the Titans standing by their aircraft on the field nearby, and, per Batman's instruction, floated over to them. 

Nightwing watched his old mentor and the rest of his team descend to the ground, then stepped forward with a grin. "It's great to see you back, Bruce." 

Batman laid a strong hand on his former aide's shoulder. "The same for you and yours, Dick. How is Selina?" 

"Don't know," said Nightwing, sobering a bit. "Dr. Dundee gave her a whole blood transfusion. It's said to have improved her chances." 

The Masked Manhunter searched Dick's eyes, knew from them that his wife was not yet out of danger, and drew in a deep breath. "Then we'll just have to improve them some more, won't we?" 

The other Titans and Outsiders were greeting each other individually but quickly. There was still a job to be done. "Apparently the Batplanes were taken inside," said Batman. "Looks like we'll have to go back in and get them." 

Cyborg said, "Just let the Titans Reclamation Company give you a hand, Bats. We'll make sure the cobras are out of the cockpit." 

Metamorpho said, "As long as you can keep up with the old men, junior," and turned himself into a gas. He wafted himself back in the direction of the mountain. 

Gar Logan offered, "'Wing, doesn't this seem kinda counterproductive? I mean, they've just put a whole lotta effort into getting out of that place, and now they want to get back in?" 

Starfire looked at him. "Think we can fit them all in our planes on our laps?" 

"Uh. No," he admitted. 

"Then let's go help!" The gold-skinned girl shot into the air with a brownish-red afterburn trail coming from her. Changeling turned into a green eagle and followed. 

Looker said, "Any of you who can't fly, get close to me. But not that close, Faraday!" 

With a bit of effort, she hauled herself and the non-flying Titans and Outsiders into the air again. 

-B- 

It was always unnerving, even if you were a super-villain, even if you had seen the deed before, to see a man materializing out of thin air before you. That was what Dr. Arthur Light and the phony Helen Jace saw when Kobra stepped out of the very short space-warp his teleportation device had created, into the office in Markovia where both of them were standing. He was wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase, but both of them recognized him instantly. 

Before they could speak, he said, "You will refer to me as Mr. Adams. What of the plan?" 

Dr. Light, wearing a grey suit, a false beard and mustache, and dyed hair, swallowed and said, "The Justice League should be arriving within an hour. Everything has been prepared." 

"Everything?" said Kobra, smoothly. "Given your record of failure against the League, I tend towards skepticism." 

Clayface glanced at her partner and saw him fighting back rage. If anyone less deadly than Kobra had said that to Light, the old super-villain would have probably taken him down with a pocket laser or something. Light took a steadying breath and said, "The device, Mr. Adams, will perform as designed. I think you can be assured of that." 

"We can rely on your own genius, I am sure, Lor--", began Clayface, still using her Jace voice. 

Kobra shot her a look. 

"--Mr. Adams," she corrected herself. "Just as certainly as we can hope to be spared by the survival measure." 

He knew the implications of what she was saying. It was a gentle barb against him: Since you helped design the atomic tunnel, we can rely on it to work, can't we? He needed these two, for the moment, or he would have turned her into real clay on the spot. 

"The operation is in your hands, at this point," said Kobra. "But if you fail--you will be in mine." 

Light and Clayface were silent. That was good. He maintained silence himself, touched a device in his belt, and faded from their sight. 

When he reappeared, he took in the more pleasant sights of a Gotham City penthouse apartment. That he was able to maintain such a base here was a slap in the eye to the Batman, who had no knowledge of it. He ventured a smile. It was not luxury such as he possessed in his lair, but it would do. 

The fall of a bare foot on a marble floor prompted him to turn his head. Eve was there, clad in only her green bikini, and as desirable as ever. She had been coordinating such things in Gotham that had needed to be done. From what reports he had gotten, she had performed admirably. The heroes had been kept busy, and their forces were still divided. 

"One welcomes your presence, Lord Naja-Naja," she said, "with the anticipation of a successful conclusion of events." 

"There will be time for such duties shortly, dear Eve," said Kobra. He sat his briefcase down and loosened his collar. "For now, I require a diversion." 

Another woman, sitting motionless in a corner of the room, watched as Eve bit him lightly on the neck, as a snake will do to its mate in foreplay. 

They both knew she was there. But neither one took much notice of Melissa McNeil, who took little enough notice of herself. 

-B- 

The Cobra Cultists that the Outsiders and Titans met within the hangar deck of Kobra Mountain greeted them with bullets, rays, and other weapons which could take out a regiment or two. Batman and company knew a half-hearted response when they saw one. Taking them out with sonic bursts, halo-power, increased gravity, solidifying crystals, and good old fashioned force was a mercy to their foes. 

Batman pointed towards the two Batplanes which the Cobras had, standing beside the various other aircraft. "Rex, Rainie, check them out. Tail to nose." 

"Will do, Bats," said Metamorpho, as he and Element Girl turned into gas. The two alchemical wraiths penetrated the two black metal craft and gave them an inside-out inspection for any devices Kobra might have secreted within. A few minutes later, they emerged and assumed humanoid form once more. 

"Everything appears okay," confirmed Rainie. "Ready to ride?" 

The Batman nodded. "As soon as we can persuade one of these defanged Cobras to show us the controls for opening the hangar door. Unless you know, Faraday." 

Talia spoke up. "I know how, Batman. I have been within this lair long enough to know." She stepped to a bank of instruments against one wall with a control chair nearby. Nightwing watched her, and silently looked towards his old guardian. Batman shook his head gently, and favored Katana with a glance. 

The she-samurai was at Talia's back in an instant, her sword unsheathed. Talia, startled, looked up at her. "What are you here for?" she asked, her hands on the door controls. 

"To make certain all goes well," said Tatsu. "Not all of our foes are unconscious." 

Talia looked at her for a second, then bent back to her task. A relay was thrown, and part of the mountainside opened up. The outer air and sunlight streamed into the hangar. 

Batman addressed the Titans. "First off, many thanks for your aid. We're always impressed by your abilities and teamwork, and not the least by Nightwing's leadership. But we've got at least one more stop to make before our joint venture is over. You need to return to the Titans' craft, and I hope it's well-fueled. We're all headed for Markovia." 

Geo-Force clenched his fist, wrathfully. "There is no more time for talk, my friends. My homeland will survive, even if I must pull every piece of it back from the void with my bare hands." 

Nightwing turned to his teammates. "You heard the man, people. Let's head out and kick the tires. And get on the horn to the JLA." 

-B- 

King Gregor of Markovia was there to meet the Justice League of America as they arrived at the airport of his small nation's capital city. It was a most unorthodox arrival. Some came in a plane piloted by Wonder Woman, a craft so transparent it could not be seen except where the light glinted off of its edges. Others flew in a more conventional craft, with a blue-starred shield bearing the three letters "JLA" on its fuselage. Two flew in under their own power, and for Gregor, these were the most impressive ones. Superman and Green Lantern, the ones of whom he had read since his childhood--one of them, the ur-hero from whom all others had arisen; the other, a galactic knight with the power of the gods in that small thing which encircled his finger. 

It was true that knowing Batman and his brother Brion's band was exciting, but having the chance to meet this group of heroes was a thrill akin to holding a power wire in one hand, and surviving. 

There had been some quandry about what to have the official greeting band play in their honor when the heroes touched down. After all, no one in their state department could verify that the League had an official song. That had to be an oversight, and he was going to offer them the services of one of Markovia's greatest composers while they were there. He had floated the idea of having the band play "Hail to the Chief," but the American ambassador had let him know, gently, that such would be a large faux pas on his part. And really dumb. 

He'd even gone through what interviews were available with League members to see if any of them revealed their musical tastes. About all he could find was that Green Lantern once expressed a love of Dixieland jazz, and that Superman's tastes were quite eclectic. No help there. 

Finally, the committee in charge of such things had settled on the American national anthem. So that was what they played, as Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Aquaman, J'onn J'onzz, Zatanna, Elongated Man, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, Firestorm, and Steel assembled on the landing field, and awaited the presence of the royal escort. 

King Gregor was poised to stick one leg over the booth in which he stood, leap to the pavement, and rush out to greet them solo, his hand outstretched. One of the ministers stopped him. "Your highness," he said, "dignity." 

"Be damned to it," said Gregor. But he did use the steps. 

He noticed Dr. Helen Jace's car pulling up to the area, and was glad of it. Somebody had to be able to explain the blasted tunnel, after all. 

-B-   
  
Most of the members of the Bat-Squad were dozing. They had to sleep when they could, very often, and had long learned the technique of catnapping. But Helena Wayne was awake, fueled by coffee and Caffedrine, and was keeping vigil by the bedside of Selina Kyle Wayne. The others in the room included Alfred, Jason, Daphne, and Julia. 

"Dr. Dundee is on his way," said Julia. "He wants us to move her back to the hospital." 

Alfred sighed. "Do you think it would do much good, Julia?" 

She looked at the sleeping form of Selina. "I don't know, granddad. She did want to be here, at the end." 

Helena leaped to her feet. "This isn't the end! She isn't dead yet, dammit! Not like...like..." 

The butler put his arms about her quickly, restraining her. He put his mouth to her ear. "Mistress Helena, caution. Remember..." 

He felt her shake, both from the tension of her emotions and from her sleeplessness. "Alfred, I won't see her die. I just won't." 

Jason tried to embrace them both, and settled for holding on to Helena's back. Julia and Daphne looked at the three of them, and then back at Selena Wayne. 

The woman in the bed seemed to be struggling with every breath. 

-B- 

The assemblage of heroes was filing into the imperial palace, which, like that of most such nations, seemed a bit large for the size of the country it occupied. Steel, who hadn't been in such a place since starting with the League, marvelled at the decor. 

"Ralph, if they throw in a free lunch with this, I think stayin' with the League was a darned good idea," he said. 

The Elongated Man nodded. "Of all the new ones, I think you'll fit in best with our original crew. And don't worry, lunch comes with the package. Dinner, too." 

Firestorm looked towards the two of them. "I'm leary of this accelerator. Reminds me of what happened to me when I got these powers for the first time." 

Zatanna, who had been one of the four members to serve in the old, new, and reunited JLA, held Ronnie's hand comfortingly. "That was in a nuclear reactor, you said. This isn't supposed to be quite the same thing. But if something goes wrong, we've got the power to handle it." 

Superman gave them a sobering look. "Don't ever make that assumption, Zatanna. Even with all the powers we command, there are many forces beyond our reach. Even I can't afford to be arrogant." 

"Sorry, Kal," said the sorceress. "But I think you'd agree that if something untoward does happen, we're the people best qualified to take care of things. Wouldn't you?" 

"Arguably," said Superman. "But the speed with which we recognize a problem and act on it--that's paramount." 

"Oh, Kal, ease up a bit," said Wonder Woman, examining a tapestry as they passed by. "This is just a diplomatic thing, after all. Still, I don't know...the 'vibes', as Donna might put it, don't seem altogether right." 

Green Lantern appraised the scene. "As long as we can get this thing taken care of in time for the wedding tomorrow. That's all I ask. And I'd better receive it." He paused. "Modora's far enough away. If Sonar turns up, I'll bounce him on his ear." 

Black Canary, her arm entwined with Green Arrow's, said, "You're not the only one getting hitched tomorrow, GL. But speaking of weddings, has anyone heard from Bruce and Selina lately?" 

Superman shook his head. "Let me check." He bent his head and looked at the floor. The others realized that he was looking straight through the floor, using his x-ray and telescopic visions in concert, staring straight through the Earth itself...and in the direction of Gotham City. 

In a few moments, he exhaled. Green Arrow asked, "What's it look like, Supes?" Dinah's fingers tightened reflexively in his gloved hand. 

"Not so good," said the Man of Steel. "I'll keep checking on her. If it gets much worse...you'll have to carry on without me." 

"Without two of us," promised Zatanna. 

-B- 

The three planes were airborne again. Plastic Man, in the Batplane which Batman flew, reflected gratefully that this time, nobody had to watch King Faraday. Without getting out of his seat, he stretched his neck in a loop that made Talia's eyes bulge, and stuck his head into the cockpit. 

"So we're just leaving the Cobras as is? Without doing anything?" 

Batman, piloting the plane, said, "Nothing we can do at present. We don't have time or, possibly, manpower to take on everyone in the mountain. The danger at Markovia is much more imminent." 

Plas nodded. "Plus," he said, in a low voice, "I'll bet you don't want a scene like they pulled back there, with all the killing." 

Batman said nothing. 

"You think the JLA are already in Markovia?" said Plas, changing the subject. 

"That's just what I intend to find out," said Batman. His hand went to his utility belt and activated the Justice League signalling device concealed therein. Once the acknowledgment was received, he had a number of options as to how to respond. He chose to take a tiny microphone from a belt pouch and tune his communicator to the proper frequency. "This is Gotham," he said into it. Plastic Man watched, interested. 

A voice came back from a belt speaker. "Gotham, this is Metro. What's your situation?" 

"Your situation is more important," said Batman. "Listen carefully. The supercollider is a deathtrap. Kobra built it. He's going to try to use it to wipe out Markovia. His ultimate objective is to threaten the world with it." 

Superman's voice came back. "Understood. I'll dismantle it right now." 

"No, Kal," snapped Batman. "Listen. Any move made on the device could cause him to prematurely trigger it. Can you use your vision on it? Check for emergency triggers." 

There was a pause. Then the Kryptonian's voice was heard: "You're right. The way he's got this thing set up, it'll go off if we make a move on it. Maybe Zatanna and GL could bypass it, or even Firestorm." 

Plastic Man's jaw tightened, hearing the news. If Superman, Green Lantern, and the other Justice Leaguers were helpless to destroy Kobra's machine, what use would the Outsiders be? Even the Titans weren't in the JLA's power class. 

"Too much of a maybe," said Batman. "If you play it out until they're ready to make the demonstration, and then crack down, you'll have better luck. That is, if you can pretend not to know anything about this till then." 

Superman said, "This is cutting it awfully close, Gotham. Are you sure that's how you want to handle it?" 

"Only other thing I could reccommend is to locate Kobra. Any evidence of him in your vicinity?" 

"None so far," said Superman. "But now that we know, we'll be looking. Discreetly. There's only four hours between us and the event." 

Batman said, "Time enough for us to get there. Delay a bit if we don't show up. Handle it yourself if we're not in time, though." 

Superman said, "Gotham. Are you sure you want to come here?" 

Batman said, "Why do you ask?" 

"I've had a look at your wife, from a distance. She's fighting, but...I'm not sure how much longer." 

Batman's hands grew tight on the steering yoke. Plastic Man didn't dare make a move. 

"We can handle things here," said Superman. "Perhaps it'd be better if--" 

"We're coming," said Batman. "Out." 

-B- 

Helena had awakened the others and all of them, Barbara, Dick, Kathy, Betty, Jason, and Karl, were there in the room, some of them standing against the wall for lack of space. Karl was kneeling at Selina's bedside, holding her hand, talking to her nonstop about his sister, hoping for a response. Because of this, Daphne and Julia had to be kept outside the room. Helena was lying with her head on Selina's stomach, occasionally crying. Alfred had his hand on Selina's wrist and was checking her pulse. It was still there, but not as strong as it had been. 

The place still stank of her medicinal sweat and Alfred had to swab their faces and hands every so often with disinfectant, to make certain the poison didn't enter their bodies. If one of the family had to die tonight, it was best not to take any more with her. His granddaughter and niece were keeping him supplied with washcloths and buckets of water. 

He felt tired. Unbelievably tired. He wanted to go to his room and do nothing but lay on his back and pray. 

When had he first set eyes on this woman? Even he wasn't certain. He had seen the pictures of her in the newspapers and in the telecasts. Through Masters Bruce's and Dick's accounts, he had gotten to know Catwoman as well as any of the other felons Batman and Robin sought. Yet, even then, he knew the strange effect the woman had on master Bruce. A dangerous effect, to be sure. 

Yet, he had precisely the same effect on mistress Selina. And he had not known of it, because he had not encountered her as they had. Still, master Dick had said once, "Don't tell Bruce I said this, Alfred, but Catwoman's probably as sweet on him as he is on her." Perceptive lad that he was. 

All through that time, he had hoped for the master to find a wife. Someone reliable, like Miss Vale, or Miss Kane. Even Ms. St. Cloud had been such a great possibility, for a brief time. If only she had not severed the ties with the master so quickly, of her own accord... Ah, well. 

Yet the master was always attracted to the dark woman, the femme fatale. To the Catwoman. To Talia. To Poison Ivy. To Nocturna. 

Well, of those four, the best had won out. Finally, Selina Kyle had turned her back on the thief's life and meant it. She redeemed herself with heroic deeds, even though she did once threaten Vicki Vale in a jealous rage. The Catwoman, who had once rubbed elbows with the Joker and Penguin, now associated herself with the Batman and his allies. Even the public had accepted her change for the better. And with her agreeing to wed master Bruce, it seemed as though many stories--including motherless Jason's, and that of an old English butler--were about to be granted a happy ending. 

Except, he ruefully admitted, that Batman's life was sadly lacking in happy endings. 

He had to be strong. He had to be strong for just a little while longer. 

Alfred sighed, stepped towards Jason Todd, and cradled the boy's shoulders in his hands. "Master Jason. Perhaps you'd care to wait outside for awhile. The exposure to her sweat can do you no good." 

"'M not leaving, Alfred," said Jason, holding back his tears with a mighty effort. "Go 'way." 

Dick Grayson the Elder said, "Don't talk that way to Alfred, son. But...is he all right?" The last was addressed to the butler. 

"Physically, at least, yes," said Alfred. 

"Live, Mama," sobbed Helena Wayne, pressing her chest to Selina's. "Please live. Please don't leave me again." 

Barbara Gordon didn't even think of correcting Helena, of saying that this was her mother's counterpart. She just remembered a time in which Helena had fought the woman she now wept over. Barbara had been along for that case, and so had the Batwoman. A Batwoman who, unlike the Kathy Kane in this room, was no longer with them. 

Betty Kane moved to comfort Barbara as the redheaded woman began crying. 

-B-   
In the New Titans' plane, conversation was more subdued than it had been on the way up. The group had hardly seen the action the Outsiders had faced. But knowing what was at stake now made it hard to lob jokes, even though Gar Logan and Victor Stone tried. Kole and Jericho were seated side-by-side, communicating intimately with signing. Raven was keeping to herself. Wally West was silent, looking out the window. Starfire figured that he was thinking about the Flash, wondering about the weird apparition they had seen during the Crisis: a being in a Flash suit who had screamed about the end of everything, degenerated into bones in crimson clothing, and disappeared. 

The girl from Tamaran went to the cockpit and crouched beside Nightwing. "Dick?" 

"What's on your mind, Kory?" murmured Nightwing, not unpleasantly, but not taking his eyes off the view through the windscreen. 

"Do you suppose we'll always have to do this sort of thing?" 

He turned his head to look at her, briefly, sympathetically. "I hope not. We need lives of our own. Even as much as I love the group." 

"Does it distract you for me to be here?" 

"No. I love it." 

"That is good. Xh'al, Dick, I must ask you something in secret." 

"Ask away." 

"Bruce's wife is dying, in Gotham City. Yet, he insists on leading our charge to Markovia. Why cannot he leave the fighting to the rest of us?" 

Nightwing said, slowly, "Because that's the kind of guy Bruce is. Don't doubt the love he has for Selina, Kory. But--" 

She rested her golden hands on the back of his seatrest, holding her head close to his. "What sort of man will leave his wife to die and go out to battle, Dick? What sort of husband can that man be?" 

"Ah, hell, Kory," sighed Dick. "As many years as I've known him, it's still hard for me to explain the guy to an outsider. Look. Bruce has the greatest ability to compartmentalize of any individual I've ever, I mean ever, known. Like he has these little Rubbermaid jars he puts a problem in, when it won't do him any good to fret over it. He might seem cold at those times, or might not display what you, or even I, might think is the right sort of emotions. But he's...working on it, inside. He has to do it that way, in order to keep on functioning. There's no other way he can. 

"Put it this way. For years, Bruce and I were into some of the nastiest parts of one of the nastiest cities on the East Coast. Murder, drugs, robbery, prostitution, theft, larceny, arson. Name the crime, we got some perps that did it. We saw--terrible things, Kory." 

"I have seen terrible things in my life as well, Dick," said Kory, placing her first two fingers of her left hand on his neck. "I have suffered terrible things, as well. At my sister's hands, at the hands of her allies." 

"Yeah," he said. "We all know about the torture. I'm sorry, Kory. Really sorry it happened. But...well, this stuff that I'm talking about, Kory, let me finish. We had to see all that, get our hands in the mess, beat up the guys responsible, pack them off to the cops, and then Bruce had to go to work the next day at the Wayne Foundation and I had to be at school. We had to be Mister Normals. Had to bury all that stuff away. So, yeah, I learned how to compartmentalize, too. But not like Bruce. 

"I did my stint in college, got into a lot of cases there, but Bruce was still in Gotham, still doing his thing just about every night. I think the city got even nastier, and he didn't have anybody to fight beside him then...just Alfred, for backup troops. He teamed up a lot with Kal, and he had his JLA gigs and managed to run into another hero that needed help almost every month. But he always prioritized. Always took care of the big business first, and then he got back to the smaller things. Usually, he handled both sorts of things okay. When the little business had to suffer, then it did. That was the price he had to pay, for being Batman. But there was nobody else who could do it. And he did." 

Koriander shuddered. "So...what you are saying is...Batman is seeing the big business as the saving of Markovia, yes?" 

Nightwing said, "Yeah." 

"And...the smaller business is..." 

"Yeah." 

Despite herself, she hugged Nightwing from behind, taking care not to pin his arms as he steered the plane. "Dick, promise me something, I beg of you. Promise me that I and the children we have, Dick, will never be the smaller business. Promise me this. Please." 

"You've got it," said Dick, without hesitation. "No matter what, Kory...you and our family will be the biggest business in my life." 

She relaxed. And as he piloted the plane, Dick Grayson hoped that his words would never someday, somehow, prove him liar. 

But there would be time for that after Markovia. 

-B- 

In the afterglow of a tantric coupling, Kobra reached out his bare arm and grasped his personal communicator from a white bedside table. Eve made no sound as she snuggled sleepily against him. He punched up a set of numbers which connected him to Markovia. "Yes?" came Dr. Light's cultured voice. 

"Adams," said Kobra. "Report." 

There was a sound of hesitation on the other end of the line. "The League is in the city. They should be on their way here directly. I believe Dr. Jace has already met with them by now." 

"Have you heard from her?" 

"Not yet," conceded Light. "But the League has had little contact with the, er, other Doctor Jace. I believe the matter will be concluded satisfactorily." 

"Can you manage to keep yourself hidden from their sight till the operation is complete?" 

"I believe so, yes," said Light. "Don't worry, I'm no more eager for them to recognize me than you are." 

"Light," said Kobra. "There are ways of dying which make facing one of my namesakes look like paradise indeed. You do understand that I cannot be avoided, do you not?" 

"I am given to understand that, yes." 

"If you fail me in this matter, Light, I promise that you will not avoid me. For you, the light will be extinguished...but I will allow it to dim for a very long, harrowing time. Am I understood, Light?" 

"Quite understood, Lor...Mr. Adams." 

"I will be waiting, Light," promised Kobra. "I will be watching. Out." 

He switched the transmission frequency to that of his mountain lair. "Report," he said, without preamble. 

"Lord Naja-Naja," said a gasping voice. "We are abashed. The Batman and his comrades have escaped. Many of us have died in their wake. The mercenaries have left, as well. All is chaos." 

A terrible glare came into Kobra's eyes at that moment, so that even Eve saw fit to scurry to her side of the bed. "The damage?" 

"An untold amount of our warriors, dead," said the Cultist. "Perhaps over fifty. Perhaps a hundred. We have not estimated, Lord Naja-Naja...many were buried in lava." 

"I see," said Kobra. 

"The Batman's band fought their way out, in the company of some other costumed ones," said the man. "One who was green and shaped like an animal, another who was a woman and of golden hue, another who could run faster than an afrit, another..." 

"That is sufficient," said Kobra. "I know who those others were. What else?" 

"Lord Naja-Naja, the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul is also among them." 

For a long moment, Kobra did not say anything. "Willingly?" he said. 

"It would seem to be so," acknoweldged the Cultist. "Lord Naja-Naja, what must we do?" 

"You must tend to the wounded, bury the dead, and await my decision," said Kobra. "Is it known where the Batman and his party were headed?" 

"Some who served in the hangar deck area, Lord Naja-Naja, said that the devils mentioned Markovia." 

"I see," said Kobra. "As I said: await my decision." 

"Oh yes, most wise Lord Naja-Naja," the Cultist verbally grovelled. "Oh, yes--" 

Kobra cut him off in mid-obeisance. He barely noticed Eve, who was lying warily at the outer edge of the bed. It was not, he told himself, much beyond what he had expected. He knew that, given what he had seen, the Outsiders would free themselves. But a hundred of his own men? 

Even he did not think that the samurai-woman could have taken so many. The lava flow was Geo-Force's work, to be certain. 

Well. What next? Intervene personally by teleporting to Markovia, a difficult thing given the distance? 

No. Either Light succeeded, or he failed. If the latter, he would die, and other black-hole machines could be built. If the former, he would still die, but the message Kobra had prepared would be broadcast shortly thereafter, and the world would be his, or face destruction. 

However, there was still a stroke to be played in Gotham City. 

The woman he had been paid to kill was still alive, barely. He could make certain of such, and see those of the Batman's household who surrounded her killed as well. What would the Batman come home to then? 

Of course, it would cause the insipid Justice League to vow further vengeance on him, which, in their terms, meant just physically punishing him a bit and turning him over to whatever authorities they preferred. But he had avoided them for years, now, and could do so for as long as he wished. 

Batman would be enraged, a titan of vengeance, but made reckless, and more easily dealt with. Especially if a trap were laid at the same time. Of course, the shock might well break him, and that would be even more delicious. 

The choice was there. The dice must be thrown. 

He decided, regretfully, that a general must sometimes delegate responsibility to his men. And pray he had made the right selection of people. 

Kobra selected a third frequency, and then spoke again. 

"Strike Force Three," he said. "Prepare an assault on Wayne Manor." 

-B- 

The Justice Leaguers were very intent on examining every cog of the great atomic accelerator tunnel, it appeared to the Markovian government men. At each step of the way, one of them, either the Wonder Woman or the Hawkman or the one who had a head of fire or the green man or someone else would stop and ask for a complex explanation of what this or that component did. Dr. Jace seemed a bit perturbed, but would usually smile and nod to one of the scientists who accompanied her. "I'm sure he can tell you about that," she would say. And he did. 

When one or the other of them offered an autograph to one of the dignitaries, another would say, "Hey, you aren't going to settle for just one of us?" Or words to that effect. And the paper would be passed around till it was covered with signatures, like a prize soccer ball with the names of an entire team on it. Truly, the Leaguers were gregarious to a fault. 

King Gregor was flattered by the chance to be accompanied by the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman, who were only too happy to provide him with what Brion called "war stories" of their exploits. At the same time, he noted that, more than once, a glance seemed to pass between those heroes, and he wondered if more was in the air than he perceived. 

He also wished that Brion could have managed to make it, along with Batman and the rest of the Outsiders. But he understood the reason why. The caped man was searching for the one who had harmed his friend, the Catwoman. Under the circumstances, it was hard to understand why the Justice League had not accompanied them. But he was sure the Batman could handle such things himself, with his own team. After all, they had done well enough in Markovia, several times. 

Dr. Jace was appearing a bit impatient, despite herself. "Now, I think we can retire to the observation area and begin the test, if you agree, King Gregor." 

Gregor, flanked by his guards, said, "Well, if Dr. Jace insists--" 

Aquaman, who was spraying himself with water from a plastic bottle, raised his other hand. "Just a moment, King Gregor. I'm a former monarch myself, and I wouldn't think of asking Dr. Jace to perform the test without showing our appreciation for what she and her crew have done. In fact, I insist on it." 

"You insist on--" began Gregor, looking at the amphbious hero in confusion. Dr. Jace looked apoplectic. 

"Why, I insist that Dr. Jace be treated to a meal with us at the finest restaurant nearby," said Aquaman. "The League can pay for it, and we'll accompany her. And the rest of her staff, as well. And Your Majesty and his party, of course. What do you say?" 

Superman sidled up beside Aquaman. "Arthur, that's a great idea. I know we've just had lunch, but I think the rest of you can put away some more coffee and cake. It's a great way to show our appreciation of Dr. Jace, after all." 

Dr. Jace said, "But--the test--" 

Wonder Woman said, "Oh, don't worry, dear. The test can wait. For my part, I can put away a lot more than coffee and cake. What about some of that stuffed lamb's stomach your area boasts? I haven't had any yet, and I'm dying to." 

Black Canary nodded in agreement. "Me, too, Princess. And Green Arrow has just insisted that I get the recipe for it. Haven't you, hon'?" 

The archer's jaw seemed to veer floorward for a moment, but he corrected its course. Or so it seemed to the king, at least. "Oh, you know it, Pretty Bird. Ain't nothing this archer looks forward to after a tough night in Star City than--" He swallowed. "--stuffed lamb's stomach." 

King Gregor looked at his entourage. "Well, it is a bit irregular," he admitted. "But, if you all insist--" 

The green man from Mars stepped directly in front of him. "We do, King Gregor," he said, without smiling. "We absolutely do." 

The king turned to one of his advisors. "Call Misha's and tell him we're coming." 

Dr. Jace didn't look any too pleased at getting a free lunch. Some people, Gregor decided, knew nothing of gratitude. 

-B-   
Dr. Dundee knew when he entered the room that he was in a chamber of death. 

The woman was comatose, surrounded by so many of Bruce's friends, but not by Bruce. Damn him. Even though he was the Batman, damn him. 

"She needs to be in a hospital," said Dundee. "Let me call for an ambulance." 

Alfred looked as though he was back in World War II, but his gaze was steely. "No, sir." 

"Alfred!" 

The others in the room, Helena, Dick, Barbara, Jason, and Karl (Betty was outside with Daphne and Julia), shifted their attention from Selina to the doctor and the butler. 

Alfred stood his ground. "We have all the medical equipment you could require in the Batcave, Doctor. Mistress Selina wished to remain here, and we will honor her wishes." 

"You do not have the trained personnel," Dundee snapped. "Being a combat medic is not the same thing as being a doctor, or a specialist. We have facilities that your blasted Batcave doesn't contain. The matter is settled, Alfred, I'm calling for an ambulance." 

"Doctor." Alfred's hand went about Dundee's arm, and the doctor was amazed at how much power the old man had. "Examine her first, and then see if a hospital stay would do her any good." 

"Let go of my arm, please," said Dundee. 

"Let him go, Alfred," said Grayson. "Doctor, the reason she's here is because, first, she wanted to be here, even at the end, and second, when Bruce gets back from the mission, the first place he's going to come is here. With the antidote." 

"If there is one," Dundee asserted. 

"There is one!" said Helena, raising a tearful face from Selina's breast. "Don't let me hear you say there isn't!" 

Dick Grayson the Elder continued, "He'll be coming here, and I can't guarantee we can contact him on the way back to tell him Selina will be at Gotham General. The delay might be critical. If Batman gets the antidote, he'll be coming back here." 

Dundee finally got Alfred to let go of his arm. "Let me take a look at her. And if you've got blood analysis equipment in the Batcave, get it ready." 

Reluctantly, the Bat-Squad members separated themselves from Selina. Dr. Dundee made his examination, took a blood sample, and had Barbara and Jason run it down to the Batcave for analysis. He took a vial from his bag (sometimes his colleagues kidded him about acting like a house-calls doctor, but it came in handy) and administered a stimulant to Selina. Then he read her vital signs again. 

As if the stench of her sweat wasn't enough indication already. 

The phone by her bedside lit up on a button which indicated it was an in-house call. Alfred took it, then handed the receiver to Dundee. The physician spoke briefly: "Yes? You're sure of that. All right. Thank you." Then he gave it back to Alfred, who hung up the phone again. 

Karl Kyle broke the silence. "Well?" 

"Well," Dundee said, "I still think she should be in Gotham General. But I don't know that we could do a hell of a lot more for her there. I'll stay. Was Selina a member of a church?" 

Alfred said, "She attended First Episcopal with Bruce, Doctor. The minister assures me that he and a goodly number of his congregation have been offering prayers in their behalf." 

"Good. That's probably the only thing that's been keeping her going this long." He paused. "It's going to look very bad for Bruce when the news people report that he wasn't here when the...if something should happen." 

"I am well aware of that, Doctor," Alfred said, stiffly. 

"It's going to look even worse if Selina dies at home, not at a hospital." 

Alfred sighed. "On that, I agree with you. But the master is her only hope now." 

"Him and God, I suppose. I need to call in some personnel. Don't give me any arguments about it." 

"As long as you keep the true nature of our...family...concealed, sir." 

Dundee said, "I've kept it this long, Alfred, and I'll take it to the grave." He moved to the telephone. 

Alfred leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. The master was so good with last-minute rescues. But he was half a world away now, and still, apparently, without the antidote. 

Perhaps this time, the rescue would be just a minute too late. 

-B- 

The air controllers at Markovia's National Airport had barely gotten over the experience of handling the JLA planes when the call came in from two Outsiders craft. The voice they heard was that of Prince Brion himself, demanding that their arrival be kept secret. It was, the prince stated, "a national emergency and a life-and-death matter." So, inasmuch as secrecy could be maintained, it was. And the two Batplanes landed not very long after that. 

Batman, Black Lightning, Metamorpho, Katana, Element Girl, Plastic Man, the Creeper, Geo-Force, Halo, Looker, King Faraday, and Talia left on the run. They were followed in short order by Nightwing, Kole, Jericho, Wonder Girl, Changeling, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Kid Flash. There was some nonsense about registration at the airport. Brion unmasked, waved his ID card, and got them through. Guards held back the onlookers as best they could. The heroes charged through. 

Once out of the front doors, Halo, Raven, Changeling (as a bird), Geo-Force, and Starfire lifted off and Looker levitated herself and the others. It was getting to be somewhat of a strain, but she just didn't have time to consider how much. Batman praised her verbally, trying to keep her spirits and endurance up. Geo-Force helped with as much anti-gravity as he could lend her, and the load was eased somewhat. 

The Markovians walking the streets of the nation's capital looked up and gaped at the aerial parade of 21 heroes. Some managed to snap pictures, and an enterprising newshound got some footage from his videocamera. A lot of people waved, and cops tried to survey crowds to make sure nobody tried a potshot. 

The Outsiders and Titans didn't give a damn about any of that. As quickly as they could get there, they were headed for the atomic accelerator. 

The problem was that not everybody who saw them was a good guy. One of Kobra's agents was in the city, saw the flying men and women, and stepped into an alleyway. He activated a communicator, and spoke two words into it: "Start now!" 

Those words were transmitted to a small receiver in an earring worn by Clayface and a plug in Dr. Light's ear. Jace hesitated, then tried to look casual to her audience of heroes. "And over here, you'll find this feature," she said, pointing to some of the pumps that served to cool down a core element. 

With the Justice League heroes' attention drawn to it, she made a quick sprint. To the astonishment of the king and his attendants, the woman's arm snaked out like a spring and reached for a lever on a control panel. 

Before she could reach it, a black-gloved hand on an arm even longer than her own grabbed her wrist and held it back. "You're good, honey, but I invented these tricks," said the Elongated Man. 

Superman moved to take her. Immediately, Helen Jace's form reverted to the brown, molten-looking woman-form of the fourth Clayface. She turned one hand into goo and splotched Ralph Dibny in the face with it, then altered her form to that of a snake and slithered out of his grasp. Green Lantern's ring shot out a beam that formed a solid container about the snake-woman. Changing her hue to yellow, she penetrated it like air. 

Then five Kryptonian fingers grasped her just behind the head and held firm. She tried thinning her neck, but the grip held fast. They were soon joined by the hands of J'onn J'onzz and Wonder Woman, and Zatanna spoke a quick spell: "namoW emoceb dezylarap." The yellow-snake Clayface found herself unable to move. 

Wonder Woman encircled Clayface with her lasso. "I command you to remain immobile, but be able to speak," she said. "Go ahead and release the spell, Zatanna." 

"lleps eb dellecnac," said the sorceress. Superman and J'onn J'onzz released their grips. 

"You fools," snapped Clayface, struggling to make her altered voicebox function. 

"Regain your normal form," ordered Wonder Woman. The snake-woman quickly reshaped herself to Clayfacehood. 

Firestorm stepped up, his hands aglow. "If she's under wraps, gang, is it okay for me to tear this thing apart? Please say yes." 

King Gregor looked on with horror. "What are you saying? Why do you want to destroy the accelerator? Is it defective? And what is this...this thing?" 

Superman brushed the monarch aside, stepping towards the accelerator. "It's defective, all right. We'll tell you about it later." He raised his fists to strike at the metallic surface before him. 

He was thrown back on his cape. 

A hum of surging energy came from the accelerator. Green Lantern unleashed his beam to attempt to contain it, Firestorm shot forth energy bolts from his hands, Zatanna spoke another backwards spell. Nothing seemed very effective, and a field of purple was imposed between them and the machine. J'onn J'onzz hurtled towards it with all his Martian might and bounced off as quickly as had Superman. 

"Let me go," pleaded Clayface. "I've got to activate my force-field device. I'll be killed with the rest of you!" 

Wonder Woman held fast to her lasso. "How did you start that thing? And how do we shut it down?" 

"I didn't start it," the metamorph answered. "Dr. Light did. He's inside the thing. And as for shutting it down...you don't!" 

Aquaman, the Hawkpeople, Green Arrow, Black Canary and the rest were hustling the king, his aides, and the scientists on hand out of the area, as if that would be much of any help. But their action was stopped by the arrival of a yellow-and-red bullet a full three seconds ahead of the others, who piled through the doorway until Metamorpho turned himself into a giant maul and smashed through it to enlarge it for the rest. 

The Outsiders and the Titans had arrived, and even in the large room which displayed part of the miles-long accelerator, it made for a hellacious crowd. 

Superman took in the new arrivals with a glance. "Batman, it's on," he rapped. 

"Cut the power lines," ordered Batman. 

One of the scientists still in the building exclaimed, "Of no use! The power source is within the unit itself. The reaction has begun." 

King Faraday looked at Batman. "If I remember right, Kobra said somethin' about this whole nation gettin' atomized by somethin' like a black hole. Should we--" 

Batman was already giving orders. "Lantern, Firestorm, Zatanna: use your powers to set up barriers. Hold that thing in. Kal! J'onn! See if your powers can somehow contain it. Halo, Looker: Reinforce them. Kole, I need a buffer barrier of crystals. Geo...Brion...I've got something for you to do." 

"What, friend Batman?" asked Geo-Force, desperately. "What?" 

"I want Firestorm to provide you with a force-shield and Zatanna to teleport you inside, with a power pipeline to him. The energy of this thing is dedicated to tearing matter apart, into its primary atoms. I want you to hold the thing together, from the center. If you can't...nothing will stop it." 

"Send me in," barked Brion. "Now!" 

Firestorm, already taxed against the purple force-field of the device, said, "Batman, can't we just teleport him or me in there and have us smash the machine? Wouldn't that work?" 

"No, 'Storm," said Batman. "The reaction is independent of the machine by now. We've got to contain this thing ourselves. Do as I say!" 

The hero with the fiery head stretched one hand out towards Geo-Force and sent forth a stream of power that surrounded him. Prince Brion of Markovia looked towards his brother. "Farewell," he said. 

King Gregor tried to go to him, but Green Arrow held him back. "Nix, King. Not until afterward," he said. 

"tropeleT ecroF-oeG onti enihcam," said Zatanna, her hands upraised, using the backwards-speech as a focusing device. Before the eyes of heroes and civilians, the green-and-gold-costumed man vanished. 

King Gregor was certain he was going mad. He had seen marvels with the Outsiders, but nothing quite like this. He turned to Green Arrow and Black Lightning, who was standing beside the archer, and managed to form words. "Do you...does this happen all the time?" 

"Only when we have to," said Jeff Pierce. 

-B- 

Without, Superman, the Martian Manhunter, the Red Tornado, and Kid Flash sped about the surging force streaming from the three miles of accelerator track, barely held in by the powers of Green Lantern, Firestorm, and Zatanna. The image of the Flash turning into a skeleton occurred to Wally West. Then he put it out of his mind, and kept running. 

Within, Geo-Force, the former king of the nation of Markovia, found himself surrounded by metallic walls, barely visible circuitry, and energy. So much energy that he was almost blinded. He gasped, which wasted a precious second. Then he flung both arms out, planted his feet, and drew upon the powers of the Earth. 

The force of gravity was his, as were abilties related to its mass and magnetic field. These were instilled in him by the real Dr. Helen Jace, and these powers were now to receive their severest test. They were to counter this reaction, and to save the entire nation. 

No. If Kobra succeeded, the very world would be at stake. There was no room for failure. 

He exerted his power, pulling back towards him the gravitic and atomic forces that sought to tear matter asunder. He felt the pull of Kobra's device. It was incredible, like an atomic bomb unleashed in a broom closet. Geo-Force strained, his arms still spread wide and trembling, his forehead beginning to drip with sweat. 

Without, Batman said to Raven, "Can you somehow contain this? Do your powers work like that?" 

Nightwing snapped, "Batman, she can send things like weapons into other planes, but this might be even beyond her." 

"I will try," the young empath said, in a voice that sounded deeper than the last time Batman had met her. With that, the blackness enveloped her in the form of a great black bird, and she was gone. 

"Halo, Looker, GL, Firestorm," said Batman. "Zatanna. You're the power manipulators here. Can you feed some juice to Geo-Force, and still keep the barrier going?" 

"Gee, Batman, I don't know," said Halo, her glowing hands still maintaining an aura encircling part of the accelerator-field. "But I'll do my very best." 

Katana stood beside her. "In as much as I can, Halo, I offer support. One moment." Talia was trying to get near Batman. The Japanese woman stepped towards her, grabbed her by the wrist, and dragged her over towards Halo. 

"Let me go," demanded Talia. "I can do no good in this situation." 

"True," agreed Tatsu. "And while I am holding you thus, you can do no bad." 

"You've already--got my answer, Batman," said Looker, a trifle breathily. He nodded, and she bent her mind to the task. 

Green Lantern and Firestorm gave their consent, and a stream of power was diverted from the heroes towards Ronnie, who was still maintaining a link with Geo-Force. Magic, psionic powers, green energy, and more, all of them flowing in a tight stream towards the Markovian hero. 

The professor who was the silent partner in Firestorm's existence, Martin Stein, sent a telepathic message to Ronnie. This may be too much for Geo-Force,> Stein sent. Have you considered that it may be like overpowering a circuit? It might destroy him.> 

It might,> replied Firestorm. Can you help us monitor his flux? I can help regulate his intake if you'll keep me informed.> 

I'll try,> Stein thought. With that, his psychic self stretched from Firestorm through the hell of purple power, along the lifeline of energy stretching to Geo-Force himself. Gently, he felt of the straining hero's aura and levels of power. 

Ease the flow a little,> sent Professor Stein, thinking that Geo-Force was overexerted. Firestorm obliged, choking back a little on his power supply. 

At that, Geo-Force felt himself yanked in a million directions, as though his body would discorporate. Stein psi-yelled: Pump it! Pump it! NOW!> Obligingly, Firestorm opened the tap, and Geo's energy pounded up towards levels sufficient to let him hold his own again. 

The nuclear boy felt Batman's hand on his shoulder. "Can you tell me what's going on in there?" 

Firestorm sighed. "More or less. We had a slight problem, but now he's maintaining." 

"Can he reverse the course of the reaction yet?" 

"No," said Ronnie. "No way. It's all he can do to keep it where it is." 

Nightwing said, "I've got something, Batman. A plan, that is." 

The guardian of Gotham looked at him. "What?" 

"Risky business. Very risky. But probably the only chance we'll have." 

"Don't stall, tell me." 

"Okay," said the New Titan. "For a moment, we get the power people to drop the barrier, and concentrate all their power through Geo-Force. Literally, give him everything they've got. If he doesn't overload, maybe he can draw the energy back, and contain it." 

"All right," said Batman. "But for how long?" 

"Just long enough for us to link him with Raven, and for him to shove the energy through her and for her to shunt it 'elsewhere'. If it doesn't work, we're dead. But if we don't try it, we're probably dead in less than half an hour. And, Batman..." Dick's voice became low. "...Bruce. We've still got to save Selina." 

For a moment, Batman stiffened and Nightwing was ready to dodge a blow. Then his old friend returned to his normal grimness. 

"Give it a try," said Batman. 

Looker sent a telepathic message to Geo-Force. Brion, luv, are you there?> 

Still here, Lia,> replied Geo-Force, not relenting in his power-use. I have no choice. What is it?> 

We're going to try and hype you with everything we've got,> she sent. You've got to take it all, and use it to draw the reaction within you. Then we'll set up a conduit to that Raven girl and you can pass it along to her. She'll deal with it.> 

All of this untried,> he grunted. All of this hypothetical. And all of this in here about to yank my limbs out of their sockets.> 

You don't want to try it?> 

I want to try it immediately,> he said. And if we live through this, Lia--> 

Don't, Brion,> she warned. Let's wait for 'after', okay? If there's an after.> 

All right,> he replied. Tell me when you will begin.> 

NOW,> Looker sent. 

And with that, the powers of Green Lantern, Looker, Halo, Firestorm, and Zatanna were yanked from maintaining a force-barrier against the energy reaction and poured into the line linking Firestorm with Geo-Force. 

For a second, the purple aura seemed to leap out at those around it. The Creeper responded by jumping backwards, and found himself landing on a red-and-yellow easy chair. "Sit back and enjoy it," said Plastic Man. 

"Enjoy this? Are you kidding?" 

"May as well get comfortable," said the Stretchable Sleuth, raising part of his corpus to prop up the Creeper's feet. 

The purpleness bulged outward like a giant balloon about to burst. Katana stood her ground until it got too close even for her, then backed up a bit. She was still holding Talia's wrist. 

Metamorpho and Element Girl formed themselves into a metal barrier between the energy and the others, and Kole, raising one hand, spewed forth a stream of hardening crystals that reinforced their surface. Jericho, beside her, saw the signs of strain on her, and wondered what good his possession-power was in such an instance. 

Changeling, in his Gar Logan form, stood beside Cyborg. "Think this one'll work, Vic?" the green youth asked, tensely. 

"Don't ask me, Gar," said the half-metal Titan. "Try Geo or Raven. After they're done." 

"Keep tight, little brother," advised Black Lightning. "Just hold on for another few minutes." 

Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl joined hands and hoped that Aphrodite was listening to their supplications. Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Speedy stood together. Steel was by himself, until Aquaman and the Elongated Man joined him, quietly. 

They waited for what was to come. 

Geo-Force gasped in agony. The power that fed into him was unbelievable. He was boosted beyond the limits of Superman, it seemed. He could hardly manipulate it. It was getting away from him. 

He felt another presence in his mind, beyond that of Looker. It sent something to him. Geo-Force, this is Professor Stein. The other half of Firestorm. Can you receive me?> 

I can...I can...> was all that Geo-Force could transmit. 

I'm in here, too, Geo,> came another sending. This is Jericho. Am I coming through?> 

Yes,> thought Brion. What...> 

We're going to link up with you,> sent Stein. We're going to help you bear the load. But you've got to drive it. It's your only chance.> 

Then...prepare yourselves,> thought the straining Outsider. For...I must use my powers...now!> 

The two newcomers barely had time to link with Brion before the latter gathered his power, both innate and borrowed, and used it, screaming. 

Outside, the many heroes watched the purple aura. It was on the brink of bursting forth, engulfing them all, and all of Markovia as well, and anything else in its path till its force was spent. 

Batman felt Dick's hand on his shoulder. He had felt it so many times, he could gauge it as Dick's even without turning. In response, he put his own arm around the man who, for so many years, had virtually been his son. Starfire came to stand on Dick's other side, both of them hugging each other with one arm. 

And, as the family they were, they faced the fury before them. 

There was another surge. Metamorpho and Element Girl flowed over the barrier of crystals, resuming their humanoid forms on the other side. Even they could not stand before the vortex. 

Then... 

Nightwing sucked in a breath. "Batman. Is that thing pulling back?" 

"Hold on, Dick," said Batman. "Just hold on." 

Starfire leaned forward, not relinquishing her grip on her husband. "It is. Just a bit, darling, but...it's receding!" 

Bit by bit, then rapidly, the force of atomic separation began to retreat. It was obvious to all, Justice Leaguers, Titans, Outsiders, King Gregor, Clayface, and all the others. It was being sucked back like air into a vacuum. 

The velocity increased. The heroes who fed their power to Geo-Force concentrated their efforts. Some could barely manage to stand, and others came to support them. Those who observed, for the most part, were silent. 

And finally... 

There was no purple aura visible. Just a white-hot atomic tunnel and fused controls. 

"Don't get near it!" called Batman. "Firestorm..." 

"I'm...already linking," grated Firestorm. 

Geo-Force was unable to stand, within the tunnel's confines. He sat, and then lay back, and felt as though a TNT charge had exploded within his chest and he was having to hold it inside with his bare hands. 

Looker's mental voice came to him. 

You're linked with Raven,> she sent. Do it now!> 

And, sensing the new linkage, he did. 

The power of the Kobra device surged through his hands and into the invisible channel, out through the roof of the building, through the air to the hovering figure of Raven. She was blackly glowing in her spirit-form, opening an aperture to another plane of existence which, she hoped, would be able to deal with the energies she would be transmitting. 

The power hit her like a high-test electrical load sent to somebody holding a cable while standing in a river. She cried out in pain. But she refused to fail. 

She held the edges of her spirit-self away from the destructive energies as they coursed into another space. Raven spread herself further, to her full extent, to accomodate the stream. 

The people of Markovia looked up, saw a huge glowing bird in the evening sky, and crossed themselves, fell on their knees, and prayed. 

The purple force continued upward and through her for five minutes more. She taxed herself to the utmost. It was as if she had to heal the Supergirls over again, almost. But the daughter of Trigon refused to quit. 

Finally, the last of it schussed up and through her. With that, she closed the hole to the other world, compressed herself again, found she had no power to maintain her dark-self, and, as a human, began to fall out of the sky. 

Two pair of hands caught her. One set was pinkish, the other green. 

"It's okay, Raven," said Superman. "We've got you." 

But she was unconscious as he and J'onn J'onzz flew her back. 

Once inside, the two heroes saw Green Lantern using a great buzzsaw created by his beam to cut into the metal of the accelerator. Looker had told him already that Brion was all right, but spent. Seconds later, a green hand dragged Geo-Force from the wreckage. The Outsider's green-and-gold uniform was stained through and through by sweat. 

King Gregor was the first to embrace him. "Brion, Brion," he said, shaking his brother. "You have done it again. You have saved Markovia!" 

Brion couldn't even raise his head. "Make sure...it doesn't need it again...very soon," he muttered. 

The Batman was at his comrade's side. "Geo-Force," he said, simply. "Well done." And he grasped Brion Markov's hand. The other squeezed Batman's hand, weakly but firmly. 

The others were cheering. The Creeper was doing a backflip somersault off of a Plastic Man trampoline. Batman raised his voice and spoke one word: "Wait." 

They subsided. 

"I need someone to teleport me to Gotham City," he said. "I need to save Selina. And I'm going after Kobra." 

To be concluded...   
  



	19. Chapter 21

bato21a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 21 

by DarkMark 

Olivia Ortega did her standup with a mike in front of her face before the gates at Wayne Manor and was as professional as possible. Her face was neutral and her voice, though carefully modulated, did not betray overt emotion. 

"Now, after two attempts on her life within a week--one of which may not have been necessary--it seems as though Selina Kyle may be reaching her final hours. As bizarre a death, perhaps, as her life has been...a pet store owner who became a premier lady thief, costumed villainess, and an enemy of Batman, then turned over a new leaf to become a heroine and the wife of Bruce Wayne. Only minutes after the vows were said, Selina Kyle Wayne was poisoned, her assailant unknown. Since then, she has been fighting valiantly for life, but even a whole blood transfusion seemed only to buy her some more time. Now, the Wayne family physician, Dr. Douglas Dundee, is enconsced within the manor, doing what he can to sustain Mrs. Wayne's life...while Bruce Wayne cannot be located." 

A voice in her earplug said, "Olivia, has any explanation been made for Mr. Wayne's abscence?" 

"I...don't think so, Herb," she replied. "It's been rumored that he may be in hiding, fearing an assassination attempt on himself. It's also rumored that he may be in contact with Batman, who could be trying to locate a cure for Mrs. Wayne. But nothing has been officially confirmed." 

"Thank you, Olivia," said Herb, the anchorman for her TV news broadcast. "We'll check back with you later." 

"Thank you," she responded, and, as soon as she was off camera, gave the microphone to a grip and sighed. Melvin, the producer, handed her a styrofoam cup of hot coffee. In mid-drink, she noticed an old friend in the crowd and waved her over. "Vicki! Vicki Vale!" 

Vicki was wearing a green dress and a matching kerchief to tie her hair with, since the wind was getting up a bit. She went back so many years with Bruce and Batman that to some it was a shock when the playboy married Selina. Now, she was keeping company with her physical trainer. But at present, she looked as though she'd spent the night in a cement mixer. Olivia, who wasn't involved with the Waynes except as the source of a story, felt sorry for her. 

"Hi, Vicki," said Olivia, offering her a hug. "How's things at Picture News?" 

"Oh, okay, I suppose," replied the redheaded editor. "I just can't believe they won't let me in there." 

Olivia frowned slightly. "Well, after all, Vick, she is dying in there." 

"I know, Livy, and I'm sorry. But I've known Bruce for so much of my life, and now to be cut out of it like this, not even in the inner circle of friends...well...it feels bad." She shook her head. "I shouldn't feel this sorry for Selina. She tried to kill me once, I think." 

"She really tried to kill you?" 

Vicki nodded. "She thought I was beating her time with Bruce. I was, I guess. But killing isn't in her, and Batman stopped her anyway. Still, it's...good Lord, Livy, I don't want her to die. Especially so soon after marrying Bruce." 

The television reporter looked at Vicki appraisingly. "You've got a lot more forgiveness in you than I think I have in me. If she'd tried to kill me, she'd be the last one I'd shed a tear for." 

The editor shook her head. "You didn't see them at the wedding. The looks on their faces when they were together...I hate to use a cliche like 'they were made for each other.' But maybe it's true, in their case. Both of them were alone for so long. Now they had a chance to find somebody else. And wham, somebody tries to take her out of the picture while they're walking out of the manor. It's like Orpheus and Eurydice with the sex roles reversed." 

Olivia nodded. "For a guy as rich, handsome, and all the rest of it as Bruce...it's incredible. All the tragedy, Vicki. You'd think he was one of the Kennedys, or something." 

"Yeah. Both of his parents killed by a mugger when he was in grade school, then he takes in two kids whose parents were murdered as well." Vicki looked at Olivia. "That'd be a great reason for somebody to become the Batman, wouldn't it?" 

"So...you're thinking that Bruce Wayne and Batman could be...?" 

Vicki leaned against the side of a green Ford Duster parked behind her and folded her arms. "I've thought that for years, Livy. So many of the things would fit. The motivation, the boy who could be Robin...but it's just like Jack the Ripper. You can put all the clues together and find a good suspect. But when it comes down to saying, 'All right. That's definitely the guy,' you can't do it. There's always a gap. It could be Bruce. It could be a lot of other men. Given the eight million people in Gotham, there's always at least a couple hundred that could fit a profile." 

"Guess you're right," said Olivia. "But if we could prove it, that'd be a Pulitzer story, for sure." 

"Yeah. If we'd print it, which I probably wouldn't. Gotham needs Batman. And, Livy?" 

"Uh huh?" 

"If he is the Batman, I sure as hell hope he's out there searching for a cure for Selina. In my mind, that'd be the only thing that'd excuse him not being here." 

-B- 

The man in the back of the limo was a lot older than he looked. And he looked to be in his sixties. It didn't seem to matter. Sixty or a hundred and sixty, he had the aura of a man you didn't want to cross. 

Right now, he was holding a cane and wearing a black suit and a Homburg on his head. There was a diamond stickpin in his cravat and another kind of gem on one of his fingers. The latter shone quite in a quite bright crimson hue. 

The chauffeur was not the one he'd started out with, back in the Twenties. The aides he'd used were much less resistant to age than himself. And, God knew, there would come a time when his hand would fall and not be raised again. One of his offspring would take up the cause after that. He just hoped whichever of the brats it was could keep from getting himself killed within a year's time. There'd been so much work for him, in his Depression days and afterward, that even he couldn't remember all the cases. 

He didn't take on that many cases these days. Couldn't afford to. Age affects even one such as he. But when a friend was in trouble, he could be counted on to give aid. Even if it was not asked. 

The Batman was such a friend. 

"To Wayne Manor, Paul," he said. "We must learn as much as we can, before we strike." 

"Yes, sir," said Paul, and floored it as much as he dared. He weaved in and out of the traffic with the zen of a practiced cabbie. More than once, he chanced a look in the rear-view mirror at his boss's hands. 

The red gem still glowed on his finger, just like his granddaddy had said it did. The description never did it justice. 

And the old man was getting ready for action. 

-B- 

Dr. Dundee was checking Selina's pulse when he saw the sight that made him regret, not for the first time, having agreed to the role he played in Bruce Wayne's life. 

A green light purled into existence in the sickroom in Wayne Manor and resolved itself into a circular shape, through which stepped a worn-looking Batman. There were others barely visible through the thing, which appeared to be a portal of some sort. 

Alfred and Helena Wayne were in the room, as well. Alfred exclaimed, "Master Bruce!" Helena, smiling for the first time in hours, said, "Uncle, you're back!" 

"Bruce," said Dundee, in awe. 

"Doctor," said Batman, in greeting. It was obvious to Dundee that the man had been through quite a lot. Luckily, he didn't appear to be injured. But he looked like he needed a hell of a lot of rest. 

And then Batman had Selina in his arms, holding her as a man holds his beloved, and if there was any doubt of his love for the woman, Dundee knew from seeing him then that it had to be set to rest. At least he and Alfred knew that the Batman was fighting back tears. 

For Selina hung limply in his arms, and could not answer the Batman with a word or a voluntary touch. 

"Master Bruce," said Alfred, at last. "Have you succeeded?" 

The great hero of Gotham forced his voice to normalcy. "Only in part, Alfred. Only in part. Doctor, how long does she have?" 

Dundee shook his head. "A matter of hours, Bruce. If there is no antidote, and even the National Poison Control Center can't reccommend one that works, I--she won't see the morning. I'm sorry." 

"There is an antidote," said Batman. "I just have to find the man who has it. Kobra." 

"Kobra" said Helena, stepping forward. "Where in hell is he? And how can I get my hands on him?" 

"Just a minute," said Batman. He turned to the portal and put a hand to his lips. "GL, come in!" 

Through the green warp-portal came another figure, one Dundee had only seen in photographs or the occasional TV newsclip. "Green Lantern," said the physician. He realized the man must have been one of Bruce's wedding guests, but had no idea which one. 

The Lantern sniffed the air and Dundee could see he was trying not to make a face. The poison sweat stench was disgusting, though he and Alfred had to get used to it. Without saying a word, the green-and-black clad hero pointed his fist at Selina. A burst of greenish light came from the ring on his hand. Dundee caught his breath in awe. 

The green power contacted Selina's body and poured into it for a half minute. Then the Green Lantern shut it off. The line of verdant energy was immediately retracted into the ring like a reeled-back line on a fishing pole. 

Quietly, the brown-haired hero said, "It'll give her a little while longer. No more than a few hours. I'm sorry, Bruce." 

Batman stood meditating before Selina's bedside for a moment. Then he whipped around to face Green Lantern. "Don't be. You did your very best, again. Thank you." 

"Isn't there anything else you can do?" asked Helena Wayne. "Isn't there anything?" 

"Mistress Helena, please," said Alfred, stepping behind her to lay friendly hands upon her shoulders. Her muscles were unbelievably tense, and he wondered if she even knew he was there. 

Another person was stepping through the warp, a beautiful, black-haired woman in patriotic dress, wearing Roman sandals and a tiara. "Batman, I may be able to help somewhat," said Wonder Woman. 

Batman jerked his head towards her. 

"The Purple Ray of the Amazons," explained Diana. "It has great curative effects. Once, it was used to bring Changeling back from Pluto's portals. I would have to go to Paradise Island to retrieve it, but--" 

"Go," said Batman. "It's worth a try." 

"I'll send you there," said Green Lantern. He aimed his ring at her, and the woman simply vanished. 

Dundee felt as though he was an intruder on the plane of the gods. 

Batman turned to Alfred. "Get Daphne and Julia out of here. Tell them Bruce and the Batman are back and we want privacy with Dundee and Selina." 

"At once, sir," said Alfred. 

"Has anything happened while I've been gone?" 

Alfred hung his head. "Most assuredly, sir." 

Helena spoke up in the butler's behalf. "He was there to defend Selina, uncle Bruce. He took down some of the ones who came after her, in the Batcave." 

Batman's face betrayed no emotion. 

"Get the girls away, get the Squad in here, and tell me all about it," he said. "Make it fast." 

-B- 

Within a short time, the Outsiders and Bat-Squad were in the Batcave, with the JLA and the Titans on stand-by status in Markovia, save for Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl, who were now on Paradise Island. Nightwing and Starfire had remained with Batman's group. Alfred had informed Batman concisely of what had transpired while he was in India. By the time he was finished, even the Creeper didn't feel like making a joke. 

Batman said, "He'll be coming here. He'll be in Gotham City." 

"So you think he'll want to finish things up personally, Bruce?", asked Nightwing. 

The cowled crusader nodded. "It's a vendetta. He'll want to see me dead for bollixing his plans in Markovia. And he'll want to...ascertain Selina's death." 

Starfire queried, "Even if it might put you within his reach? Even if you might force the antidote from him?" 

Batman looked tired. "Especially so. It's a game. It's a challenge. 'Stop me before your wife dies, or before I can kill you.' Even with all the real destruction that we've been fighting against...to him, it's also a competition." 

"Then he shall find us extremely competitive," promised Geo-Force, who had not forgotten or forgiven his torture or the threat to Markovia. Looker slid her fingers around his arm. 

"King, Talia," said Batman. "Did Kobra give any clue as to his headquarters in this city? Any mention to yourselves or someone in your presence? Anything?" 

King Faraday, a cigarette in his hand, looked embarrassed. "I wasn't with him all that long, Batman. Didn't hear a thing about Gotham operations. Sorry." 

Talia said, "I paid him to deliver me from my father, Batman. I was not privy to the nature of his Gotham operation. He took me from Europe, where I had gone on pretext, to India. I made no stop in Gotham. I am also sorry." 

The Batman didn't answer. He walked briskly to the master computer in the Batcave, sat down, and began to work. It was always online. 

Halo nodded to Katana. "He's about twice as old as me. I keep thinkin' I'll catch up to him in computer skills someday, but I never do." 

Katana said, "With the Batman's level of dedication, Gaby, it is difficult to 'catch up' to him in any area to which he truly applies himself." 

Gabrielle also noted that Katana always managed to position herself between Talia and Batman. But she did not call attention to it, and wondered if she should. 

Plastic Man elongated his head towards Batman to look at the computer screen. Without pausing, Batman said, "Please don't, Plas." 

"Sorry," said the stretchable sleuth, and returned to his normal shape. 

Robin the Elder was sitting beside Helena, now in her Huntress costume, and holding her hand. Young Robin, Firebird, Batgirl, Batwoman, and the Cat King were also nearby. Nightwing and Starfire went to sit with them. 

"We need to get the hell out on the trail, Dick," breathed the Robin from another world. 

"Soon as we find out what it is," Nightwing answered. "Best man in the world to do that is doing it now." 

Karl Kyle fidgeted. "I don't know that I can stay here. I don't know that I can leave, either. That's...almost my sister up there. Damn this double-Earth thing to hell, anyway." 

Batwoman put her arm around his shoulders and leaned his head against her shoulder. "I know, Karl. But it isn't over with yet. And as long as this Bruce is on the thing, I've still got hope." 

"That's the only reason I do," admitted the King of the Cats. 

"She's not gonna die," said Jason Todd, to himself more than anybody else. "And if she does, I'm gonna find the guy who did it, without Bruce. And I'm gonna kill him." 

The Huntress took his hands and said, "You'll do nothing of the sort, Jason. The...family...does not kill. We leave that to scum like the Joker. My father did kill, early on, but he stopped doing it. You know why?" 

"Because he wanted to be a white knight in a Batman suit?" said Jason, defiantly. 

"Because he knew if he kept doing it, he would be another Joe Chill," replied Helena, strongly. 

"Oh." 

Starfire sat with Batgirl and Flamebird. "I had hoped that our wedding would be a thing of joy, like Donna's," she said. "I suppose I was being a bit naive." 

Flamebird said, "What do you expect me to say to that, Kory? You know what our lives are like. Hell, on that other Earth, I'm dead!" 

Batgirl said, "This is getting to us all, I know it. I keep wishing the night was done...but at the same time, I'm afraid for it to be. You know what the problem is. We're all wanting to go out there and bust somebody and save Selina. We want action, but, well, you know." 

"Barbara," said Betty Kane. "Even if we do manage to save Selina's life, do you suppose her brain will be...intact?" 

Silence. 

"I shall see about Mrs. Wayne," said Starfire, and left to go upstairs. 

The talking continued, in low voices, with stretches of nothing being said. Nightwing ventured to Batman's side. The man had been working for fifteen minutes, scrolling through a long list of names. 

"I'm rather busy, Dick," said Batman, quietly. "When I'm ready, I'll..." 

"Bruce," said Dick. "I'm not living in the mansion anymore. Please don't talk like that to me. Okay?" 

Batman looked at him, sharply. Dick gave the look back. 

From the sidelines, the elder Dick Grayson looked on, and was pretty sure of the dynamics between the two. 

In a somewhat louder tone, Batman said, "I am scrolling through a list of persons registered in the best hotels of Gotham, or who maintain expensive apartments. The city has required such information be computerized and databased. At my request." 

"I see," said Nightwing. 

"Kobra is used to finer accomodations," continued Batman, looking at the screen. "He's been doing enough in town to require a base. Therefore--" 

"You're looking for a name that reeks of an alias," finished Dick. 

"Exactly," said Batman, his gloved hands almost blurred on the keyboard. 

"But, Bruce," said Nightwing. "What if he hasn't chosen an obvious alias? Not everybody's obvious enough to go by the handle of 'Thomas Twin' or 'Joe Kerswag'. Most likely, he'll just be 'George Smith' or something like--" 

"There it is," Batman said. His finger was pointed at a name on the screen. Dick leaned in to look. Several of the others also quietly got up to do the same. 

"Ned Hawker?" Nightwing stroked his chin. "Okay. Explain the bit that's so obvious to you, but which I'm totally in the dark about." 

Batman was already up and heading for the Batmobile. "Ned Hawker is close to Nidhogger. A name from Norse mythology. You should be able to fill in the rest." 

"Hold it," said Nightwing, bounding over towards the car's rumble seat. "If the ref is to Norse myths, and it's Kobra...it must be the Midgard Serpent!" 

Metamorpho and Element Girl, who had been conferring with Black Lightning, looked in their direction. "So now we've got our marching orders, kid?" said Rex. "But if this name's so obvious, why in hell did Kobra choose it?" 

Batman was starting the engine. "The equivalent of a barrio gang painting 'Y Que?' on a stop sign, Mason. He knew I'd find it. He wants me to come after him, to step into his trap. I intend to oblige him. To the hilt." 

"Wait for us!" said Element Girl, elongating her four-colored body towards the car. 

"Catch up," said Batman, as the Batmobile tore out of the garage area. 

Black Lightning looked at the others. "Um. Okay, tell you what I'm gonna do. This place on Bats's computer screen? The Chambers Building? We're going to go upstairs, get some keys from Alfred, and take a couple of Bruce's cars down there." 

"'We' as in Outsiders?" asked Batwoman. 

"Yeah," said Jeff. "You folks need to stand guard on Selina. If we don't come back...it's your job to take Kobra. Take him out." 

"I am coming with you," said Starfire. 

"Kory, maybe it'd be better if you stayed here," Black Lightning said, softly. "You're the only one amongst 'em who has powers. If those freakin' Cultists attack, you're gonna be needed." 

"How do you know they will attack? Or that they are even here?" The orange-skinned girl in the scanty costume had her hands on her hips, staring defiantly at Jeff. "My place is at my husband's side." 

"Kory," said the elder Robin. "Lightning's got a point. We're good, but we could use a power person. The last time the Cobras attacked, it took a surprise attack by Kathy and Karl to beat them. This time, if they hit, they'll be prepared." 

"Plus the fact that we would've been in bad shape against Dr. Phosphorus if Man-Bat hadn't shown up, and he's still in the hospital," admitted Batgirl. "If you could, Kory, please stay. After all, you are family." 

The girl from Tamaran wavered for a moment, then her green eyes grew resolute. "All right, Barbara. I will stay. But if my husband dies because I was not at his side, I will damn myself forever for it." 

"Don't talk like that," said Element Girl. "The only casualties on this mission are going to be Kobra's. Let's go, guys." 

Rex Mason smiled. "Is she getting into this team business, or what?" 

There was nothing left to say. Black Lightning and his cohorts, including Talia, who was led physically at first by Katana, left. 

Batgirl picked up the phone in the room and pressed a button. "Alfred," she said. "We're coming up. Where are Daphne and Julia?" 

"In the living room and very angry," the butler said. "Julia mentioned feeling like a human shuffleboard marker." 

"If you can get them out of here, do it. We may be under attack soon. Kobra may see us as...unfinished business."   
  
A pause. "As best I can, Ms. Gordon. Is this confirmed?" 

"Not for certain. Does it have to be?" 

"Until the master shows up with the viper himself in hand, Ms. Gordon, it most certainly does not." 

She replaced the receiver and looked at the others. The Batpeople from her Earth, and the other one, and the golden girl from another world who wanted to be with her husband of less than a week. 

She supposed that every one of them was thinking of the woman dying in a room one floor above. 

And that every one of them was wondering if, just this once, the Batman would be too late... 

...Or that they might not live to know it. 

-B- 

Within his mind was a large zone of blackness. 

Batman focussed on the white sliver of hope as he piloted the Batmobile forth. Gotham's streets were always busy, but the cops had cleared as much of the path as they could, which wasn't much. Still, it never seemed to stop him. 

(she's going to die and everything you can do won't stop it) 

(Shut UP)   


Through the city he'd known all of his life, from the earliest memories at his parents' side 

(and you couldn't save them either could you mister big dark knight of gotham) 

(Shut the hell UP) 

to this very night. He wondered if tonight was the last night he would see its skyscrapers, its lighted bridge spans, the statue of Father Knickerbocker, City Hall, the Hall of Justice where Jim Gordon held court 

(how about those hundred plus people the joker's killed so far did you manage to save them either) 

(SHUT UP!) 

"Bruce." 

the man who'd been as close to a father or brother as he'd known since Dad's death, hell, a friend, just like Dick, in a way 

"Bruce." 

"Dick?" 

Back to reality, Bruce... 

He ventured a short look at Nightwing. For a moment, his mind superimposed the eight-year-old kid that he'd found in Newtown all those years ago, the night two aerialists had fallen to their deaths in the Haly Circus. The night that both of them learned that the Flying Graysons' deaths had not been an accident.   
  
So much older now. So much bigger, so much stronger. In a costume that owed nothing to the one Bruce himself had worn when partnered with Harvey Harris, then passed on to Dick, along with the name Robin. 

The name had been passed on, as well. 

"I was just thinking, Bruce. How many times have we been in this car together, or one like it, over the years? I can't even remember how many Batmobiles we've gone through since I've been with you, y'know. The ones we wrecked, the ones we had built in new ways..." 

Batman shifted his hands a bit on the wheel. "I'd have a hard time remembering myself, Dick. Even with this so-called photographic memory." 

Nightwing smiled. "I've got a pretty good memory, too, Bruce. You wanna hear what I'm remembering tonight?" 

"Tell me." 

Nightwing shifted back in his seat. "I'm remembering...a kid. A circus boy. An eight-year-old who just saw his mom and dad take what looked like one chance too many. Then he found out that it wasn't a bad chance at all, but some bad men that just decided to use them as an example. And he wanted to go to the cops, but he turned and ran into a guy all in black and grey who said that wouldn't be a good idea. That the town cops were corrupt, and that he'd be dead inside an hour if he talked. Whether from a crook's bullet, or a cop's bullet, it didn't matter. 

"And I want to tell you, Bruce, that the kid was a little scared of that big guy back then. I mean, he was a stranger. Sure as hell wasn't one of the circus folk. But the big guy was strong. As strong as a guy would need to be to straighten things out. To make sure...his parents got some kind of justice. And the kid wanted to be in on it too." 

"I remember," said Batman, looking at the road ahead. 

"That kid. That eight-year-old kid took his first ride in the Batmobile that night. It wasn't even as good as the one we had built a year later. But it looked like it was a mile long to the kid, and he was a little leary of getting into it. Then again, he had to, to stay with the big guy in the cape, to try and make things even out. So that's what he did. And he argued with the guy in the cape for all of the way. The big guy was going to take him to the Gotham orphanage for safekeeping. But by the time they got to the Gotham city line, the big guy had started seeing things the kid's way, just a little." 

The man at the wheel nodded, faintly. 

"That was the start of it. When the big guy took the kid into the cave, and made him swear the oath to fight for justice, and then took off his mask. And the kid found out the big guy looked just as human as...well, as his dad. And the big guy, Bruce, he was smiling. But he was still strong, mighty, mighty strong. And...that's how the kid knew he could be strong, himself. If he could draw some of that strength off the big guy, and make that part of it his own." 

"Dick," said Batman, struggling with his own emotions. 

"Bruce. What I mean to say is...as routine as all the trips we took in that car, and all the others...there's always something of it that feels like the first night we were in it together, to me. My God, Bruce, everything...everything I am now, I owe to you. You were my father. You were my second father. I...dammit to hell, I just don't know how to give it back. And I want to, so damn much." 

"Dick," said Batman. "Please. Don't you think...don't you know...that everything you took from me, you gave back tenfold?" 

"I..." 

"Please, Dick. Shut up. Don't you know how lonely it was for me, back then? I didn't even have Alfred. It was just me, and the bats in the cave, and the fury. I was going to fight through every hood in Gotham back then, until I got to the one who'd killed my parents, my parents, Dick, and make him pay. Only sometimes I didn't know if I was going to live long enough to do it. Sometimes I didn't know a lot of things. Then, when you came along, I began to think that I would make it through. You know why, Dick?" 

Nightwing spread the fingers of one hand, palm up. 

"Because I wasn't just living for hatred then, Dick. I was also living because I had somebody to love." 

The younger man tried to speak and found that someone had shoved a large immaterial ice cube down his throat. 

"That's why I was so glad to have you, Dick, although I may not have shown it as well as I should--" 

"You did, Bruce," said Nightwing, haltingly. "You did." 

"--because I knew back then I could never have a wife." His face grew a bit grimmer, and his hands tightened on the wheel. "At least, that was what I thought. But with you, I could have someone very like a son. And that's what you were to me, though the courts would only let you be my ward. And that's why it...why it hurt so very much when you had to leave." 

Nightwing's face was turned away from his old partner's. Batman continued. 

"But nobody can stay a Boy Wonder forever, I suppose. And Alfred and I were so proud of you, every time we heard of Robin taking down some hoods in New Carthage, or with the Teen Titans. Then we tried to get together again, and we worked well together..." 

"Yeah," said Dick Grayson, hoarsely. "And I left again." 

Batman nodded. "Because you had to, Dick. Because you had to. I don't think you did anything wrong. When you reformed the Titans...when you became Nightwing, as much as that hurt...I had to admit you were doing something very right. Choosing your own path, and sticking to it." 

"I'd have never lived long enough to do it, if not for you," Nightwing said. 

"Don't you see, Dick? Without you, I wouldn't have, either. The fury might have broken me. I had to learn to love again, from you." 

They went on for three more blocks before either of them said anything. 

"We're partners again, Bruce," said Dick. "Tonight, and any time you need it. Batman and Robin, again." 

"No, Dick," said Batman, gently. "We're friends. And it's Batman and Nightwing. Because it has to be." 

Nightwing breathed heavily. "Tonight, I'm going to pay you back for everything. Tonight, we're going to bring Kobra down, and save Selina. Because she's another person for you to love, Bruce...and I don't aim to let you lose her. My...wedding gift to you." 

"Hold that thought, partner," said Batman. "We're about a mile away from our target." He noticed a green light on the communicator panel. Pressing a button, he said, "How far back are you?" 

Katana's voice answered. "Only two blocks. Should we close?" 

"Negative," he said. "Nightwing and I will blaze the trail. You cover for us. How was it back home?" 

"Nothing had changed when we left." 

"Good. Stand by." He thumbed the connection shut. 

"Tonight's probably the last night, Bruce," said Nightwing. 

"For somebody, Dick. For somebody." 

The Batmobile sped on. 

-B- 

The vans looked suspicious, so the cops stopped them a mile away from the Wayne mansion. Bruce owned a large enough spread to keep himself at a fairly good distance from neighbors, but Commissioner Gordon had insisted that the force keep a decent shift of boys in blue on the few roads around there until the Selina Kyle Wayne thing was resolved. The guys who filed out were of some Eurasian sort. Given what info had filtered down, that didn't seem good. 

Baker, who was in charge of the unit, said, "We'll have to search your vehicles. We don't want any problems, so don't cause any." 

The Eurasians looked at each other but didn't seem perturbed. "But of course," said one, in faintly accented English. 

Baker took two men with him and stuck his head in the first van. That was as far as he got before his knees got weak and things began to double and weave and he suddenly resumed a dream he'd had before about being on Mars, fighting alongside Captain John Carter, and it was such a good dream he didn't even feel the impact when his chin struck the floor of the van. 

The gas was odorless and colorless and spread quickly. Before a minute was out, all the cops on the scene, who weren't wearing nose filters as the Eurasians were, fell asleep in their tracks. One of them, in his car, tried to radio a message to headquarters but got about as far as depressing the send button before he went under. 

One of the Eurasians leaned inside the prowl car, took the hand mike away from him, and pressed the off button. Then he reached over and took the keys out of the car. The others were disabling the three other police vehicles in similar ways. 

There was no need to kill the police unless it was decreed by Lord Naja-Naja. Their true objectives lay ahead. 

"Suit up," said the squad leader. Obediently, the men got into the vans and, as the vehicles drove away, started changing into their Cobra Cult uniforms. 

Almost time for work. 

Behind them, a voice was heard in the radio of several of the cars. "Lt. Bullock callin' 547. Repeat, Lt. Harvey Bullock callin' 547. Baker, acknowledge. Baker. Baker, acknowledge." 

Baker was still fighting Tharks alongside John Carter, but had no way of telling Lt. Bullock of such. 

-B- 

The Chambers Building is located in the Uptown part of Gotham, not many blocks from where Vicki Vale keeps her apartment. As the crow flies, it is about 30 miles from Wayne Manor. The Batmobile was able to make it in well under an hour. But both men riding inside knew that every minute was another one ticked off of Selina Wayne's dwindling life. 

The two of them had no time for rubberneckers or doormen. The great brakes of the Batman's vehicle brought it to a stop in an area where only emergency vehicles would have been permitted. Gotham's laws permitted the Batmobile to stop by and large wherever Batman wanted. The two of them leapt from the car almost before the motor stopped running. 

"There'll be traps," opined Nightwing. 

"Wouldn't settle for anything less," rapped Batman. 

The two of them rushed for the service entrance of the Chambers, bowling over a few pedestrians who were too shocked to get out of their way. One of the Batman's skeleton keys and a whisk of an ID card good for anywhere in the city got them through the door. A worker pushing a buggy of laundered uniforms gaped at them. 

Batman reached into his utility belt and pulled forth a $50. "This is yours if you give us what we want." 

"Uh, what do you want?" said the mustachioed man. 

Three minutes later, the man found himself outside the back door, while Batman, in a service uniform pulled on over his costume and a cap which he hoped concealed some of his mask pushed a buggy, within which Nightwing lie hidden. He didn't really want to take the elevator--Kobra was bound to have traps installed there, whether the management knew it or not--but there didn't seem to be another way to get up in time. 

A concierge saw them in the hall, waiting for the lift to hit their floor. "What are you doing?" he asked, coming closer. "That stuff's supposed to go on this floor." 

Batman smiled as broadly as possible and went over to the man. He might be just a regular employee, or he might be in contact with Kobra. His ungloved hand went to the man's shoulder. 

"Well, y'see, it's like this," he explained. 

The concierge caught sight of the mask under the cap's brim just about the time several fingers squeezed a place near his neck that brought him unconsciousness. 

The elevator pinged the arrival of the cab. Batman eased his man to the floor, then propped him behind a potted plant. The doors opened and three people got out. Nonchalantly, the manhunter wheeled his buggy into the elevator and pressed the button to shut the doors. There was no one else in the cab. 

He heard somebody yell, "Hey, there's a guy over here, and he's out!" before the doors closed. 

From underneath a layer of uniforms, Dick Grayson asked, "Are we there yet?" 

"Soon enough," said Batman. 

-B- 

The Outsiders were stuffed into three cars from Bruce Wayne's garage and pulled into the parking lot of the Chambers Building only about five minutes after Batman and Nightwing. Black Lightning was damned glad that Bruce had car phones in just about everything he owned, except for maybe a motorcycle. He dialed police headquarters as the others piled from the cars. "Put me through to Gordon or Bullock," said Jeff. 

A couple of seconds later, he heard the gruff voice of the biggest slob and one of the finest cops among Gotham's Finest. "Bullock," said the lieutenant, around a cigar. 

"Bullock, listen. This is Lightning. We're all at the Chambers Building, Bats included. He's gone ahead of us. The big fish is bound to be inside." 

"You sure of that?" 

"You want to tell Batman he's wrong?" 

"I'll call for backup now." 

"Set up blockages, keep the civilians out of it as much as you can, get some cops in the lobby. You know the drill." 

"Oh, yeah. Go make like Audie Murphy. I'll do my Edward G. Robinson." 

"I hope not. I've heard your Edward G. Robinson. Later." Black Lightning broke the connection. Then he jumped out of the convertible. Metamorpho, Element Girl, Halo, Katana, Talia, King Faraday, Geo-Force, Creeper, Plastic Man, and Looker were already out and headed for the front door. The man whom Batman had paid off gaped at the newcomers and wondered how many more people in nutty costumes were going to show up tonight. And what they would pay for an exclusive laundry service. 

There was a park a block away and three vans had been parked in it until a few moments before, when their engines were gunned to life and they made three streaks for the back door of the hotel. As they got near enough, the uniformed soldiers inside opened windows, doors, and even hatches on top of the vans, and started firing at the heroes before they even came to a stop. And not all that they fired was bullets. 

Battle was joined. 

-B- 

In Markovia, the Justice League and New Titans picked through the wreckage of the atomic accelerator. They had already used their combined powers to damp down the temperature and negate the radioactivity from it. Most of the area was covered with charred plastic and wiring and fused metal. Luckily, no human life had been lost. At least, as far as they knew. 

Wonder Woman still held onto the end of her lasso, with Clayface encircled about the waist in its loop. The woman looked the part of her name, resembling a hunk of brown modelling clay shaped into the form of a human female. "You said he was within the machine?" 

"Yes," Clayface confirmed. "He activated it when I couldn't. He was supposed to be protected by a force-field." 

"What if it didn't work? What if Kobra gave him a defective shield, so that he wouldn't live to tell of the plot?" 

The villainess said, "I don't know." 

Firestorm, flying a few feet off of the ground, said, "So, like, wouldn't it be a better assumption that Doc Light didn't survive? Maybe the energy charge did kind of overload his capacity, or something." 

The Elongated Man was stretching along beside him, and his nose was twitching. "I doubt it, kid. The nose knows. There's still a mystery in Markovia." 

A large green bloodhound was snuffling the ground not far away from them. Suddenly, the dog raised his head, sniffed the air, then opened his mouth and clamped down on solid air. 

"Yipe!" said another area of air. "Let go of my leg, you mongrel!" 

Another green being, J'onn J'onzz, was there in an instant. His Martian speed had brought him to the spot, his Martian vision revealed something else to him, and his Martian strength was employed a second later to lash out and punch whatever Changeling, in dog-form, was holding. There was a groan and a thud. 

The Martian Manhunter stooped, reached out, and tore something with an audible rip. A white belt became visible in his hand. On the ground below was an unconscious man with a white goatee, who wore a black and white uniform. Dr. Arthur Light, aka Art Lyte, aka Dr. Light. 

Changeling returned to his normal shape as the villain became visible. "Score one for Team Chartreuse," he grinned. 

Several other heroes appeared beside them, including Kid Flash and Superman. "Good going, you two," said the Kryptonian. "Let's get these two under wraps." 

"Then can we head into Gotham?" said Wally West. 

Superman's face became grim. "Batman asked us to wait till he contacted us. He was afraid Kobra might strike on another front, as a distraction. But, Wally...if I don't hear from him within another hour, I vote we go in anyway." 

"Let's do it now," said Steel, who had appeared with the rest. 

The others looked at him. Superman said, "You've worked with Batman before, I know. What do you think he'd say?" 

Abashed, the young hero said, "Guess you've got a point. All right, let's wait." 

-B- 

The young woman in the air berated herself for her cowardice. 

She had not sided with her old comrades in this matter, preferring to break away and stand with the heroes. At the same time, she had been elsewhere during the entire affair, not feeling comfortable with the mass of supermen and superwomen who had attended the wedding of the Waynes. Halo had tried to get her to come, but at the last moment she had begged off. 

When the news came of Selina's attack and the subsequent events, she had still remained aloof. Through what sources she had, she learned of the fight between the Outsiders and the Masters of Disaster. But that was a continent away, and she could be forgiven her noninvolvement with that. 

She hoped. 

But she had maintained a vigil over Wayne Manor for some time now, and when she saw the Batmobile tearing away, she knew that the end of the affair must be coming soon. Three other cars came from the Wayne garage later, and she recognized their occupants. She counted them as friends, but did not know if they would count her as such. 

She had trailed the vehicles at a slow rate of speed, half-heartedly, then lost them. She debated whether or not to try and find them. After all, she wasn't even sure she wanted to be a super-heroine anymore, if she even was one. And the others would have power enough to deal with what they had to. 

But it hadn't been enough to protect Selina Wayne, had it? 

Grudgingly, and slowly, she admitted it hadn't. 

Wafting herself on the wings of the wind, the young woman took to the skies once again, and vowed she would find where her friends had gone. 

And she prayed that, if they were in trouble when she found them, she would have the courage to help. The courage would have to come from God. 

It sure couldn't come from her. 

-B- 

Batman figured that the elevator would either start spewing gas, heating up, or threatening to drop within about ten stories or so. It took fifteen, and it was 42 stories to the top. He figured the giveaway was when he spotted the minicamera near the top and broke it. 

It was gas, but he and Dick had already put on their nose filters before they went in. Nightwing was out of the buggy by the time the hissing had started. Batman's thumb had already gone to the emergency-stop button to freeze the car between floors. 

"No sense in letting it open on a floor where civilians could get a whiff," he said. "Let's poke the hatch." 

Nightwing leapt into Batman's cupped hands, bounced up, banged his hands against the emergency hatch, then flipped back to the side of the car as gunfire racketed through the space in an almost perfect pattern. Batman was against the car's side as well, having leapt back as soon as he finished boosting his partner. 

"I'll handle this," said Dick. He bent his wrist at a certain angle and touched a stud on the wristband he had brought along for this job. He kept his head and the rest of his body out of the backblast of a shortrange but powerful wrist rocket. 

The weapon lanced through the hatch and travelled to the top of the shaft in seconds. Its explosive warhead blew the machine gun implant to shrapnel. The masked twosome were hugging the sides of the cab again, then took hold of the handrail about its walls as the cab made a short drop. The brakes caught it before it had fallen very far. 

"Wonder how he managed to keep that from the inspectors?" said Nightwing. 

"They do it all the time in this town," said Batman. "You know that." 

They hopped through the hatch, stood atop the greasy roof of the cab, and used a mini-jack from Batman's utility belt to force the doors of the next floor. A few bewildered people stood facing them, drawn by the noise, most of them standing before open doors. 

"Get back inside," said Batman. "Don't come out again before the police or I tell you it's all clear." 

They obeyed, and doors slammed shut and were locked. 

"You've still got the touch," remarked Dick. 

"Hope so," clipped Batman. 

They ran for the stairs, preparing mentally for the next set of traps. 

And Batman wondered whether or not, before he got to the top and Kobra, his wife would be dead. 

-B- 

Bruce Wayne had a decent enough set of motion detectors installed along the roads to his home. The monitors were activated in the Batcave when they were tripped. After the fiasco in which the Kobraites had invaded the mansion, Alfred had new one installed and made a general check of all of them. 

Some minutes beforehand, the infrared pictures came in and a tone-alarm was given. The Bat-Squad knew about the vans while the latter were still on the road, some distance from the house. 

The elder Robin made the decision about teams. "Starfire, Helena, and Batgirl, come with me. Jason, Firebird, Kathy, Karl, you stay here with Alfred. No arguments." 

"That's only four against a mob of Cobra Cultists," said Batwoman. "Only one of you has powers. Not good." 

"I said, no arguments," snapped Dick. "We're going to try and hit them before they get here. Alfred. The girls. Is there a place of safekeeping to which you can get them?" 

"Why, yes," said Alfred. "But it's in, ahem, the Batcave. I can blindfold both of them, tell them it's for their own good..." 

"Good. Do it. Come on, crew, let's go!" The red-yellow-and-green costumed man rushed to the door of the drawing room, followed by the Huntress, Starfire, and Batgirl. Firebird looked at Batwoman, the Cat King, and young Robin. 

"Guess we're perceived as the weaker set," she mused. 

Karl Kyle said, "We've got to be strong enough to hold off these creeps from Selina. And we will be." 

Robin pounded his fist into his palm. "Best believe, Karl. If these guys try to get at my second mom, we're gonna shove these Cobras' tails down their mouth and let 'em bite themselves!" 

Batwoman hugged Jason lightly from behind. "If I thought it would do any good, I'd tell you to stay out of it. You're too young to die. Would it?" 

"No," he said. 

"All right," she said. "If Bruce has got any weapons around here, we'd better find 'em." 

-B- 

The Outsiders were ready for a fight with Kobra's men. The problem was that the Cobra Cultists were a bit readier. 

Kobra did not want to be bothered by Batman's auxiliary while he was luring the Masked Manhunter into his lair. Therefore, the strike force that encountered the Outsiders was equipped with weapons more suited to countering their powers. 

Plastic Man was the first to encounter the foe, stretching out thirty feet to do it. He was grim, eager to pay the Cobraites back for his imprisonment, but even more eager to prove himself to his teammates. He made a fist more than a yard across and pummelled one Cultist down with it before Black Lightning could holler, "Plas, wait!" 

But the Pliable Paladin hadn't waited, wasn't facing the guy who carried a large spray-rifle attached to a case on his belt, and, thus, wasn't able to avoid the yellowish glop with which the guy was covering him. He turned his head towards the man, but couldn't quite make it. 

The stuff was a polymer compound, quick-hardening, and able to restrain even Plastic Man himself. He started to elongate his head out of the trap. A second blast covered his head, making it difficult for him to breathe. He tried to use his feet, his hands, but his glasses were covered by the glop and he couln't see where to direct them. 

There was a sleeping drug of some sort mixed with the polymer. He guessed this only a few seconds before he pitched onto the pavement of the hotel's parking lot. 

Black Lightning let fly with two great static electric charges from his hands that hit the metallic spray-gun and were conducted into the sprayer's body. The Cultist jerked from the jolt and then fell unconscious. Jeff Pierce yelled, "At 'em, Outsiders!", and, hands crackling with blue energy, leaped into the fray. Those Cultists before him gave way, and another rushed at him. He was covered from head to foot in some sort of body armor, non-metallic, to be sure. Lightning tried throwing bolts around him, but a lightning rod protruding from one shoulder on the Cobraman's uniform attracted the charges and dispelled them through his suit. 

Apparently, the damn thing was insulated. 

The Cobra Cultist closed with him and got in the first blow. Jeff reeled. The nature of the gloves the guy wore, with no finger divisions, and the impact of the hit told the Outsider that his foe was fighting with weighted hands...probably brass knucks. He took another hit, rallied, and slammed a blow into the man's midsection. The armor hurt his hand, which did no appreciable damage to the man's gut. 

This was getting serious. 

Metamorpho was on the polymered Plastic Man with an acid to dissolve the yellowish cocoon. He was hoping that the stuff wouldn't burn through Plas's skin as well. "Rainie!" he called. "Keep 'em back!" Obediently, Element Girl formed her upper body into a metal propeller and began rotating at great speed, pushing forward. The Cultists in front of her gave way, not sure she would cut them to bits, but not sure she wouldn't. 

But another Cultist attacked Metamorpho with a modified taser that sent intolerable electrical jolts through Rex's body, more than even he could withstand. Element Girl turned, formed her left hand into a cobalt maul and dealt the attacker a blow that shattered his helmet and left him unconscious in the street. But she, too, fell victim to another taser-wielder. 

Black Lightning was already out, having taken one too many blows from his enemy. The rest were having problems of their own. 

"Take this, you rotten ol' snake-eyes!" snapped a flying Halo, and scattered some of their opponents with an orange force-blast from her hands. Unfortunately, she had a hand-picked enemy, too. One Cultist held a device that looked like a small satellite dish and trained it up at her, reflecting back at her the frequencies of her orange aura. It hammer-blowed into her. Halo's eyes became very wide, her body very limp. The heroine fell, and Geo-Force negated gravity beneath her enough to make her plunge soft. But she was still kayoed when she touched the pavement. 

The Creeper was already amongst the Cobras, leaping, kicking, chopping, slugging through them like a ballet dancer turned kickboxer on speed. His red-gloved fists cut a swath through their foes, and both friends and enemies were impressed with the Creeper's prowess. Even though he wasn't quite as muscular as the Batman, Professor Yatz's serum had given him the strength, stamina, and speed of Olympic champions when it was activated. Thus, he was able to slam his way through a good number of Cobramen on his way towards Plastic Man. All the while, he let loose his trademarked screeching laugh. The most chilling thing about it was the note of pleasure in it. 

Then, suddenly, a thrown bola wrapped itself about his ankles and a power-charge in a device concealed within one of the balls sent an agonizing surge through his yellowish body. His screech of laughter became one of pain. He fell face-first to the asphalt, and two Cobramen brandished truncheons which came up once, and then went down. 

Geo-Force cried out, "Enough!", placed his hands on the pavement, and exerted one of his powers. Within seconds, all those directly in front of him, both allies and fallen heroes, felt themselves growing incredibly heavy. The force of gravity was being increased locally by the Markovian. The Cobra Cultists reluctantly began to kneel, then to fall prone. 

The hero smiled. But only for a few seconds. 

One of the Cultists, lying parallel to the ground, had his weapon outstretched and a finger in the trigger guard. He squeezed, once. He was thankful that his arm was pointed in the right direction. 

Geo-Force's yellow boots were tough, but not tough enough to keep out the trank dart that imbedded itself in his ankle. Two seconds later, he pitched forward on his face. 

Looker, Katana, King Faraday and Talia remained, and Looker was already in the air. Katana unsheathed her sword. Talia shrank back, and looked as though she were about to bolt. Faraday had his .38 drawn and was stepping forward. Katana looked back at both of them and said, "No." 

Faraday looked at her, perturbedly. "No, what?" 

"Do not engage our foes in combat, Faraday," said the Japanese woman. "Get inside, hide, and take this woman with you. Make sure you do not lose her. Absolutely sure." She emphasized this point with a gesture of her weapon. Despite himself, Faraday flinched. 

"It is not necessary," said Talia, trying to put together her composure. "I am able to acquit myself well enough, and both of us will do better separate--" 

"NO." Katana's tone was deadly. 

Faraday grabbed Talia's wrist. "All right, dammit, I'll play the game for right now. But you and Miss Eyes had better pull this one out." 

Katana charged it, her sword in both hands. Talia tried to pull away from Faraday. He grasped her wrist more tightly, and began to haul her after him, towards the doors. 

"My father would have you murdered for touching my person thus," she snapped. 

"Your father would probably clout you over the head and give you to me in a more cooperative status," retorted Faraday. "And if you don't cooperate, I swear I'll do it myself." 

The two of them made it within the glass door and went looking for a place of concealment. 

Katana was not in a mood to take prisoners. Her lord and his young warrior-aide were invading the enemy's temple, and these malefactors were preventing them from going to their aid. True, there were laws against murder. But if deadly force was offered, deadly force could be returned. 

Irregardless, she was going to make sure that some did not live to serve Kobra past this night. 

With a horrifying kiiai yell, Katana leapt at the Cultists. They were doing their trademarked pull-back-and-let-the-specialist-up thing, but she still got three of them with a swing of her sword. The voice within her blade hissed. No way to tell if she had claimed her targets or not. There were a lot more to kill. 

Except she didn't quite get the chance. 

Two tasers were fired at her from opposite directions. These she managed to destroy with her sword. But another two, fired an instant later, hit their mark. Katana's costume had some insulation, but the points of the taser darts penetrated it. A crackling of blue electrical force shot into her body. She gritted her teeth, intent on her duty. She was samurai, and a samurai must battle on until death, and beyond, if granted. 

Even as it was, she managed to take down another foe before she fell. 

That left Looker, though she was unaware that she was the lone warrior remaining on the Outsiders' roster. At the same time that Katana was striking, she levitated herself above the fray, extended her hands towards Kobra's standing warriors, and unleashed a brainblast. It mowed down several in the front row. It could have taken out all of the enemy, leaving them senseless in the parking lot battlefield. 

But one of their number was also prepared for the lovely psionic. A helmet encased his cranium, protecting him from her mental bolts. He held up a gunlike weapon, designed by someone in Kobra's employ. A burst of high-powered static in the frequency band of Looker's power was unleashed, and targeted in a fairly tight band towards the redheaded heroine. 

The pain was overwhelming. 

Don't let me fall, too, thought Looker. Not me. I'm the only one left...the only one... 

But she did, hitting the asphalt surface limply enough to save herself from injury. It was not a conscious act. She had already passed out. 

The surviving Kobra warriors stood amidst the fallen, most of which were Outsiders. 

Sirens were audible in the background and a group of rubberneckers had gathered, but were keeping well away from the battle scene. The Cultists looked towards their group leader for instruction. 

"The two elementals we'll have to take with us," he said. "Bullets are said not to affect them. As for the others...kill them." 

"We hear and obey," said another soldier. 

The Cobramen took out conventional guns, placed themselves above each of the fallen Outsiders except Metamorpho and Element Girl, and awaited the order to fire. 

-B- 

"Grandfather, why in the hell are you doing this thing?" 

"For your own protection, Julia," said Alfred, doing up her blindfold in back. "Now don't wiggle, and don't try pulling the blessed thing up. It's important." 

Daphne Pennyworth, not yet blindfolded, snapped, "Like hell. What's bloody important, uncle, is you telling me and Julie what's going on around here. All the secrecy, all the guests that we can't meet, every time we get shoved out when other people get shoved in...what's the big deal? Why is this?" 

Alfred looked at his niece evenly. "Because the house is about to be attacked and there is no time to get you out beforehand." 

Daphne's eyes widened in shock. Julia turned and pulled up her blindfold, agog. "Attack? By whom?" 

He pulled her blindfold down again. "By the same parties involved in the poisoning of Mistress Selina. Now either cooperate, or I shall go below, return with a chloroformed sponge, and render the both of you more compliant." 

"But you...we...who is it?" said Daphne, holding the cloth for her eyes. "Where are the police? Where is Bruce?" 

The butler took the cloth and tied it tightly around her eyes. "The police, hopefully, are on their way. The master is with the Batman, wherever he may be. We are undoubtedly to be attacked at any moment." He took Daphne's hand and raised her from the chair, then took Julia's hand and led them both from the room. 

The Frenchwoman protested, "But grandfather, where are you taking us? And what about the others?" 

"I am taking you to a place of shelter," said Alfred, walking between them and still holding their hands as they proceeded down the hall. "The others will also be fine." 

"Where will you be, uncle?" pleaded Daphne. 

"Defending the house, and our family honor." 

"Can't...can't we...", started Julia. 

"No, no, emphatically no," said Alfred, stopping, opening the door to the library, and then ushering them both in. 

"My grandmother was a resistance fighter," said Julia. "She was Mademoislle Marie." 

"Yes," sighed Alfred. "I know who your grandmother was." 

Alfred shut the door, then shut out the lights, plunging the room into darkness. There was still a chance that the girls could see a bit through the cloth, or that one or both would pull up the blindfolds to peek. He felt his way unerringly to the hidden switch that caused the section of book-wall to open. Then he took the two women to the doorway. "Step down, carefully," he said. 

"Uncle, I want to know what is happening," pressed Daphne. 

"I am saving the two of you, hopefully, from death," he said. 

"From death?" said Daphne, incredulously. Julia just breathed a bit quicker. All three were walking down the steps to the Batcave. 

"You will obey my orders to the letter in this matter," said Alfred, as if to a partisan in the war of four decades past. "Once you are within the chamber to which I shall take you, you will open the door to no one's voice except my own, or one of the guest's. The password shall be, 'Pecksniff.' Once again, 'Pecksniff.' Now, repeat it to me." 

"Pecksniff," said Julia and Daphne, still walking downward. 

There was a set of three rooms in a bunker in the Batcave, concealed behind a false wall, and Alfred prayed that they would remain concealed. Within was a couple of beds, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. It would accomodate the both of them, and hopefully keep them safe no matter what transpired. 

At least, that was what one had to tell oneself. 

Alfred Pennyworth opened the door with a device the size of a coin, watching the rock-wall over the concealed door swing up and outward. He thrust both women inside, and then said, "Count ten and take your blindfolds off. God be with you both...and with us." 

The rock door was closed in three seconds. Julia had her blindfold off in five. Daphne had hers off a second later. They looked about them. 

"A fallout shelter," guessed Daphne. "Thought Bruce would have something more elaborate." 

Julia said, "I don't know if it's a fallout shelter, specifically, Daphne. Bruce is a rich man, and, well, rich men can be endangered at times." 

The actress sat on the edge of one bed, found it sufficiently soft, and then slapped both hands on it. "Julia. This is impossibly crazy." 

"I know. But there's absolutely nothing we can do about it." 

Daphne hugged herself. "What do you suppose this all really is? Could Bruce be mixed up in some sort of, of spy business, or what?" 

Julia shook her head. "Once, I suspected him of being the Batman. But him being married to the Catwoman would be reason enough. She mixed with some dangerous people. Some of them she might have--excuse the phrase--rubbed the wrong way." 

"Bad enough to want to kill her all these times? And to send somebody to attack the house?" 

"Evidently," said Julia. 

"Julia. Are you scared?" 

She nodded. "Are you?" 

"Absolutely." 

The two women sat side by side on the bed, held hands, and wondered when and how this thing would be over. 

-B- 

Starfire was flying high enough that she hoped she wouldn't be spotted. But, where Kobra was concerned, she didn't take that for granted. A pair of hunting goggles was strapped to her head. Below, she caught sight of one of the Cobra vans. She lifted her wrist to her mouth and spoke into a communicator. 

"One below me, and closing. I'm going to hit it. Wait for me." 

"Acknowledged," said the elder Robin in her earplug. 

The Tamaranian bent her upper body down at an angle, kicked her legs up, and shot downward at a great rate of speed. This was a bombing run, and she had to make her first salvo count. No telling what armament the Cultists were carrying. 

About a hundred yards above it, she had to dodge what looked like plasma bursts. They were too darned close for comfort, and the men who wielded the weapons were no slouches at marksmanship. 

Then again, neither was she. 

She closed for a bit more, zigzagging out of the plasma fire with difficulty, and extended her hands. Twin bolts of starforce scorched from them, blasting at the roof of the van. An explosion occurred as it contacted the metal. 

After the light of the blast faded, she saw that the van had stopped, but was not destroyed. The roof was damaged, but not broken through. Were the men still inside? She unleashed another bolt, rupturing the van roof this time, and descended as she did so. 

From the sides of the trail about the vehicle, plasma fire erupted. Koryand'r cursed. The Cobras had suckered her down. She spread her hands, blasted starpower in two directions, and pushed up, headed for the skies. 

The plasma burst that got her didn't hit her dead-on, but the impact was great enough. Starfire cried out as she felt the pain on her left leg and side, knew she was going to feel much more in a matter of seconds, knew that she was going to have to land. 

"I'm hit!" she gasped into her wrist-radio. "I'm hit!" 

"Kory!" came the voice of the man who sounded like an older version of her husband. "How bad? Stay with me, Kory. Talk to me." 

But the ground came up and hit her pretty hard, and the wrist with the radio on it hit solid. Something broke within it. She lay stunned, and didn't want to lay stunned. She wanted the stinging pain on her burned leg and body to awaken her. Because if it didn't, she'd be a target for the fangs of the Cobras. 

Starfire struggled against her body. But she only seemed to push the blackness back for a few seconds. 

Old Robin's voice went out to the radios of Huntress and Batgirl. He spoke one word. 

"Deploy." 

The two opposing forces stalked each other in the night. 

-B- 

Commissioner Gordon knew that Harvey Bullock was troubled by the fact that he hadn't touched his industrial-strength hoagie in the last five minutes. If only he could have stopped it from dripping ranch style dressing onto the carpet. 

"We've got squads going in two directions," said Bullock. "To the Chambers Building, 'n' the Wayne place. Dammit, Commish, I was hopin' the bad craziness'd go away with the red skies a few weeks back." 

Gordon rubbed the back of his neck. "They never go away, Harvey. We both know that. They just recede a little bit, that's all." 

"There's a lot of folks at the Wayne place right now," mused Bullock. "That Dr. Dundee's s'posed to be there, plus the butler, that kid Todd, and a buncha house guests. 'N' Selina Wayne, if she's still alive. Plus all hell's breakin' loose with the super-types downtown, so I hear." 

The commissioner swept some papers off his desk. "Your point?" 

"My point is, why are the two of us sittin' here while we been gettin' invitations?" 

Gordon pulled his .38 police special from a desk drawer, snapped out the barrel, checked it, snapped it back in place. "My sentiments exactly. I'm headed for Wayne Manor." 

"Kinda figured you would. I'll take the Chambers. Commish?" 

"Yes, Harvey?" 

"You're still one helluva cop." 

"So are you. But wipe up that mess on the floor before you go." 

-B- 

The cameras he had placed in the various places within and around the Chambers Building served Kobra well. From his bed,. he was able to keep tabs on the situation with the Outsiders on one set of monitors, and on another set to track the progress made by Batman and Robin, or Nightwing as he was now called, with certain interruptions in the latter. After all, Batman was smart enough to see where his cameras were and to smash them to bits. 

Eve was lying with her head in his lap. "Will this take very much longer, Naja-Naja?" 

He stroked her black hair. "Not much longer, my sweet. But you can be assured of one thing: the Batman and I will close in combat before much time is passed. Such is his nature, and such is mine." 

"Then you expect him to get through all your defenses?" 

"All the ones between here and where he is, yes. But it will keep him entertained, maybe wear him down a little. Heh." Kobra gestured to a monitor screen that had a closer image of the Batman. "Look at him. It takes an experienced eye to see, but he's worn. The beating he took at Mammoth's hands, the captivity in my mountain, the battles he's had to fight since then. Batman's endurance is...well, it's legendary. But even it has its limits." 

"Whereas you are still fresh and...virile," commented Eve, wrapping her arms about his waist. 

He shoved her head away. "I will not be if you continue thus. No, I must get dressed. Batman expects this to be our final battle, and it would not do to greet him in my present state." 

"Can we make love after you kill him?" 

"We'll think about it," said Kobra, getting out of bed. He checked the monitors again. The two bounders were making their way up too easily. He went to the table on which he had laid his shirt, pants, several weapons, and a communicator disk. The last, he activated. 

"Guardsmen of units five and six," said Kobra. "Quarry approaching your level. Perform." 

He then switched it off, looked briefly across the room at Melissa MacNeil, sitting with her hands in her lap. Perhaps after this all was done, he could make it a threesome and include her. 

Kobra started dressing. He could hardly be expected to note the single tear in Melissa's eye. 

-B- 

Batman and Nightwing had abandoned pretense and disguise after ripping out and smashing enough Kobra cameras. All that was left now, they figured, was to run the gauntlet. They were on the 32nd floor and little had happened after they took out a sniper hiding in a room on the 28th. 

On each floor, he'd had to herd a few civilians back into their rooms and tell them to shut the door and lock it. Luckily, in Gotham, his face was more recognized than President Reagan's, and his authority was more absolute. The people did what they were told.   
  
Time was still slipping away. For Selina, and for both of them. Perhaps, Batman told himself, for everyone. If Kobra could construct one machine like the one in Markovia, he could construct more. Perhaps he already had. 

Nightwing wasn't saying a lot. That was good. The kid--no, the man--was alert. God knew, he deserved to be back in bed with Kory. Instead, both he and she were involved in this blasted crusade. Why in hell did some idiot villain who wanted to burnish a stupidly-chosen name always think he had to take a potshot at the Batman, or someone connected with him? 

The Top Gun syndrome, Batman told himself. If you outdrew the Top Gun, that made you Top Gun yourself. And in his case, it was only a matter of time till someone did. 

Time. He was forty years old. How much longer could he wear this cape? 

He shook his thoughts away from that, only a few instants before he caught some suspicious creaks, smelled some smells that bespoke weapons to him. Blast it. If he hadn't been woolgathering, he would have caught it sooner. 

"Enemies ahead," he said, softly. "And behind." 

With that, two doors at opposite ends of the hall flew open. No less than fifteen men, with arms, emerged from them. All wore the suit of the Cobra Cult. They were armed. 

There was no time to tell Nightwing to engage. Both of them were already rushing at their foemen. The ones Batman was facing were puzzled. 

They couldn't figure out why he was smiling. 

To be continued... 


	20. Chapter 22

bato22a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 22 

by DarkMark 

The Cobra crew were still aiming their guns when a wind of no less than 80 mph in velocity slammed into them like a solid wave and blew them physically across the Chambers Building's parking lot. It didn't stop until each and every one of them was pinned against a wall of a building across the street. 

They were wondering, mostly, what act of God had saved the Outsiders from certain execution. 

Most of them had their weapons, but they weren't exactly in a position to use them. The air burst was pinning them in such a fashion that the only thing they could do was shoot the ground or the sky. Since there were no enemies currently in either location, the Cobramen decided that this would be a dumb thing, and refrained. 

More than a few of them could see straight ahead at the master of the force that was holding them like moths caught in an air tunnel. Actually, it was a mistress of the force, and she wore a pink and blue outfit with a blue eyemask. She had blonde hair and looked about as threatening as a kumquat. 

Her name was Windfall. 

"Um, none of you move," she said, still stretching out her hands to keep the winds in place. "Please. I would really appreciate you all not moving at this time. Thank you." 

"Is this bimbo for real?" asked one of the Cultists, approximately. 

"Are these winds for real?" responded the one next to him. 

"We've got to stop her. She's keeping us from doing our jobs, for Naja-Naja's sake!", said a third. 

But there seemed to be no agreement on how they were to stop her, either for Naja-Naja's sake or their own. On the other hand, there was a possibility that the girl would run out of juice soon, so they decided to wait her out and call her insulting names in Indian. She didn't know Indian, so that worked to their advantage.   


Windfall was, in her earlier days, a member of the Masters of Disaster. Since that time, she had seen the light and worked with the Outsiders. Her elemental powers enabled her to manipulate air and wind, which came in handy often. After the horrors of the Crisis, she had sought some time alone. 

But, with the Outsiders' lives at stake, she didn't see how she could keep out of the action any longer. And she was hoping one of the crew would wake up and take over. She really didn't want to have to do this all night. 

Of course, the cop sirens were getting extremely loud by now, so that meant the whole thing could be taken out of her hands soon. There was only so long she could sustain that kind of air burst. 

A voice came from an area around her ankles. "Uhm...what's happenin'?" 

The Creeper raised his tousled green head. Windfall looked at him. "Oh, uh, hi," she said. "Can you give me a hand here?" 

He shook his head to get the cobwebs out and only made himself sick. "I'm...not really sure. You one of the good guys?" 

"Well, I am now," she said. "I mean, I used to be a Mistress of Disaster. But now I'm an Outsider, kind of. My name's Windfall." 

"Ah, good," said the Creeper. "That's cop sirens I hear, right?" 

"Yes," she said. "They'll be here any minute and take these men off my hands. I couldn't let them kill you all, I mean." 

"Well, tell you what, Windy," the Creeper said, standing up with an effort. "The cops and I have a misunderstanding right now, so I've got to lam, and I think the best thing would be for me to go help Bats. Can you keep things running?" 

"I suppose so," she said. "But only if they come here quickly." 

The Creeper stooped, found Black Lightning, and slapped him three times. "Hey, BL. Wake up." 

"Hunh?" The Ebon Bolt grabbed the Creeper and dragged him close by the red sheepskin before his eyes focused. "Oh, Creep, it's you." 

"Right. 'Oh, Creep, it's you.' Jeez. Like I'm supposed to be a swimsuit model or something? You help this girl and the cops with the bad guys. I'm going inside." 

"Creeper? Creeper!" called Black Lightning as the yellow-hued hero leaped off, reaching the back doors of the Chambers Building in four bounds and slipping within. The black Outsider straightened up, rubbing the back of his head, and took in the scene. "Windfall," he said. "Didn't expect to see you here." 

She nodded. "But aren't you glad I came?" 

"Oh, yeah. But definitely." 

The first of the cop cars came screeching up, and Harvey Bullock bounded out, clutching the top of his trademarked beaten-up fedora with one hand and holding his .38 with the other. "All right, what's going on here? Are these the perps?" 

"Yes, officer," said Windfall. "But don't..." 

Bullock was already stepping in front of her, and, unfortunately, right into the airstream. He was rolled head-over-heels no less than fourteen times before whumping up against the person of one of the Cobra Cultists on the opposite wall. By that time, more cop cars had arrived and Windfall had shut off her air transmission. 

The lieutenant was still holding his gun. He jammed it against the nose of one of the masked Cultists, who was more effectively armed but knew not to argue with a gun against his face. 

"You're under arrest, dirtbag," snapped Bullock. 

-B- 

The men whom Batman was facing had no idea why the man in the cowl and cape hadn't been targeted by a fatal bullet yet in all his years of crime-fighting. That was because, unlike a lot of their brethren, they hadn't seen him in action. 

For one thing, he was just too blasted fast. His sprint would put most college track stars to shame. And that from a forty-year-old man. Plus he knew how to run broken-field better than most pro football players. Since his life, and not a few yards to a first down, depended on it, that was understandable. 

But what they hadn't counted on was the fear factor. To put it bluntly, seeing Batman coming at you full-steam was terrifying. Some who only knew him from news stories or photos scoffed. A man in a Halloween costume scaring the bejabbers out of hardened criminals, even murderers, while not carrying a gun? It seemed the height of absurdity. 

That is, until you faced the man himself. There was a juggernaut quality to him. The size, the musculature, the physical presence of him, the grim expression on his face, even in his smile, the fact that his special mask-lenses didn't let you see his eyes, and the relentless, unstoppable drive of the man when you went against him... It was, more or less, like having one's feet inserted in concrete and then having to face a fast steamroller. 

The Cobramen had guns. The Cobramen had knives. The Cobramen had other weapons, and martial arts training as well. They knew how to use all of that to deadly intent, and all of them had, at one time or another. 

But as the blue-black-and-grey thunderbolt meteored into them full-throttle, they found out what all the other hoods in Gotham had learned: it just wasn't enough. 

The Batman's powerful body slammed sideways against the phalanx of Cultists, slamming them every-which-way in the hallway of the hotel. Three went down, not kayoed but floored. That was his intent. It would give him time to deal with the other four. Two had been slammed against the left-hand wall, near a room door. One had his Uzi out, the other was trying to get his out of his belt. 

A single powerful blow took care of both of them, cracking the jaw of one and leaving each of them totally unconscious. The door beside them opened, slightly. An old man looked out, in fear. "What--", he began. 

"Sorry," said Batman, placing his hand against the man's chest, shoving him back. He snaked a hand behind the door, twisted the lock button, then got his hand in front of it again and pulled the door shut. That had cost him two seconds. Two of the other Cobras were levelling guns at him. 

He leaped up, somersaulted in the air, came down hard on them with both feet. The Cobras grunted, went down, and, thankfully, didn't accidentally fire. He tore the guns away from their grasp, whirled, saw one of the fallen three getting up, and smashed him across the face with one of the weapons. The man went down, bleeding from the nose. 

Another Cobraman got up and lunged at him with a knife. The slight discoloration on the tip of the blade indicated it had been envenomed. The man didn't make more than three paces before his arm was grabbed, twisted, dislocated. He screamed, dropping the knife. Batman chopped him across the back of the neck. It felt to the Cultist as though a concrete pillar had been dropped across his brainstem. He wasn't even aware of hitting the floor. 

Four remained. They had been taught to fear the Batman. But they feared Kobra more. One of them threw two short daggers. The masked manhunter dodged both, caught the hurler, smashed a knee into his gut, banged five knuckes into his jaw, and slung his insensible body into two of the others. The one who remained standing had a finger on the trigger of his Uzi. A grey-clad elbow contacted his jaw with an impact that seemed to be calculable in megatons. He collapsed. 

Batman pulled one of the two others up and slammed him hard against the wall. "Is he in the penthouse?" he snapped. 

"Is who?" the Cultist mumbled. 

Batman's grip tightened near his throat. "No time for that now. Tell me." 

"Yes, yes, of course he is!" gasped the Cultist. "But, O Man of the Bats, he will kill me for having told you this!" 

"Only if he kills me first," Batman assured him. He touched a nerve in the man's neck. The Cultist slumped. 

The remaining one of the seven whom Batman had faced had decided that not only great generals, but lowly foot soldiers, should know when the time came to retreat, and that time was now. He went sprinting down the hallway. Batman's back was to him, and he was still questioning the Cultist in his grasp when the other began his flight. 

Without looking behind him, after letting the Cultist to the floor, Batman unsnapped a Batarang from his belt and let fly. 

It struck the fleeing Cobraman in the back of his right leg and felled him. He groaned and grasped his limb. It had been numbed, and hurt so badly he couldn't make it up to flee in the time necessary. 

Batman was by his side within seconds. "Easy or hard?" 

"What?" 

The man in the cape dragged him to his feet in an instant and delivered a short punch to the face. The Cobra Cultist joined his brethren in dreamland. 

"You should've said 'easy'", muttered the Batman. 

While this was going on, Nightwing was facing the other eight Cobramen. The young man in blue and black had reached behind his back and, from a hidden holster, produced two rods which, with a shake, telescoped to about two feet in length. 

"Escrima sticks," he said. "Just taken 'em up recently. You, gentlemen, are gonna help me perfect my technique." 

With that, he leapt among them. They were too close-quartered to use their Uzis (a problem with sending too many men against a single opponent), and, even though some sought to use their blades or garrotes, they found that the black-haired whirlwind in their midst was as hard to catch as a sirocco. He seemed to have about as great a force, too. 

Nightwing's weapons smashed against the nerve centers of two Cobramen's arms and caused them to drop their guns. His foot lashed out in a kickboxing strike, smashing againt the face of another, and putting him out of the action. A fourth came in, trying to puncture him with a deadly kris, but collected a knee against the jaw and a slam from a stick which finished the job on him. Another swipe of the sticks nailed two more foemen, and a powerful kick apiece discombobulated them both. 

It was insane, thought those who were still standing. A single man, a callow youth compared to the Batman, was harvesting them like grain. This had to be stopped. Their honor, or what was left of it, had to be avenged. Or at least salvaged. 

One of the Cultists came at Nightwing head-down like a football tackler. In a flashy move, Nightwing transferred both sticks to one hand, leaped up, put his hands on the man's back, and leapfrogged over him. He landed on his feet, dodged a couple of knife-throws by skill and luck, and slammed his feet into two faces, knocking both down and one out. The other he fell on knees-first, unleashed two blows on, and rendered him hors de combat. 

A garotte was looped about his neck from behind. 

Before it could tighten, Nightwing's elbow slammed back into the man's groin. Even with the shield the Cultist had in his uniform at that area, he grunted in pain from the impact. Dick grabbed the strangler's wire with both hands and thrust his arms and body down powerfully, throwing the man overhead. He whirled, grabbed his sticks from where they had fallen on the floor, and smashed them across the face of another attacker, bringing blood. A blow to the stomach and another to the chin took care of that one. 

The strangler was trying again, as Dick found when he turned. "Don't you ever learn?" he said, with some disgust. He jabbed the ends of the sticks into the man's gut, hard, then lifted him by crotch and shoulder, went to one knee, and smashed the Cultist across his outstretched leg. The man saw white lights and went into grayness. 

That left one still unaccounted for. He had his Uzi out. Nightwing was the only other in the area still standing. It should have been a simple thing, really. Just pull the trigger, turn flesh and blood and bone and internal organs into so much perforated waste spattering the walls. 

"Do you really think you can?", said the masked man, with an unnerving smile. 

The Cultist considered the men littering the carpet, looked at the cruel confidence in his opponent's eyes, and began to back away. Then he turned and started to run. 

He ran right into a wall. 

The wall was colored grey and had a yellow oval with a bat inside it. 

The Cobraman looked up at the face of Batman, who was wearing a smile not unlike that of Nightwing. He started to say something. 

Then he found his shoulder grasped, his body whirled around, and his eyes seeing the face of Nightwing just before his field of vision was filled momentarily by five great knuckles. That was a sight he would carry to his dying day. 

Luckily, this day he was only rendered senseless. 

"Thanks for letting me," said Nightwing, holding the front of the man's shirt in one hand. 

"Took you long enough," said Batman, smiling slightly. 

"Hey, I had eight, you had seven. Give me credit." 

"We've still got a few floors to go," Batman said. "Find a phone on this one, call the cops and the front desk, let 'em know about the garbage." 

He whirled and ran for the stairs. 

"Batman," Nightwing called. 

"Do it and catch up," Batman threw over his shoulder. 

-B- 

Batgirl had been stalked and stalker before. This night, the experience didn't seem reassuring. 

She and her two friends from Earth-Two, the old Robin and the Huntress, were threading their way through the darkness and the trees in the wood near Wayne Manor. Somewhere in this wood lie Starfire--hopefully unconscious, not dead. Somewhere else lie Cobras, just as deadly as their namesakes, and more well-equipped to deal death. 

Usually she didn't wear any kind of special lenses or glasses in her mask, unlike Batman and Robin. This time she was sporting infra-red goggles, and needed them. Her night vision was very good. But when facing a group of killers such as the minions of Kobra, she judged that she needed all the advantages she could get. The scenery stood out in visible relief, not quite as clearly as during daylight, but much better a view than she could get with her unaided eyes. 

She was trying to remain in the trees as much as possible, knowing that a chance rustle could and would betray her position. Luckily, Starfire was wearing a tracking device in her belt (Dick had insisted on it), and an indicator strapped to Batgirl's wrist showed the direction in which she could be found. But she hadn't located her yet. 

Nor had she found any of the Cobra Cultists. That would normally be a blessing. But their mission was twofold: to recover Starfire, and to disable the enemy strike force. She hoped she could do the latter without having to kill. Every fiber of her being rebelled against taking life. Even that of men as evil as the Cobras. She prayed silently that she would not have to do it. 

She also prayed, just as fervently, that none of the enemy would do the same to her. 

The moon was only at half status tonight. She thanked God for that. A full moon, well, it'd just be too revealing. She exhaled, estimated the distance from her leafy perch to the next tree, and wondered whether to try to jump it or to use her lasso. 

Then she saw the line of red light. 

A laser, she thought. A damnable laser sight. It was from a Cobraman's weapon. He was taking a chance, to be sure; the thing could even be seen by unaided eyes, much less infra-red goggles. But he must have seen something he wanted to shoot at... 

She hurled herself from the tree, hit ground, rolled. A burst of gunfire had gone into the branches she had just vacated. 

Batgirl saw the man, some yards distant, and knew that he had to have seen her as well. Undoubtedly had to be wearing the same kind of infra-reds. She reached for a batarang in her belt, caught it, threw it. 

The man's gunburst caught the 'rang and shattered it into uncounted flinders, but it didn't matter. Batgirl was already in motion. 

She had been a track star at one of Gotham's biggest high schools in years past and had set a record for sprinting that remained unbroken to this day. But even she didn't think she had ever run this quickly. However she did it, the Cobraman simply wasn't able to bring his Uzi into line with her before she arrowed headfirst into his gut. 

There were voices she heard, in the distance. None of them belonging to her friends, all of them speaking in Indian dialect, and none speaking for very long. They had been heard. All of this flashed through her mind as she balled her fist and pounded down hard into the Cultist's face, smashing him, breaking his nose, battering him three times. 

The man threw her off with his legs, reached for a kris, threw it at the sprawled woman. 

Batgirl whipped to her feet as he threw, held her cape before her and to her side with both hands, caught the knife in its surface as it tore the tough fabric. He was already trying to grab his gun from where it had fallen when she bowled him over. 

His hand closed on it at the same time her high heeled boot stabbed down upon his arm, spiking it hard. He cried out in pain, involuntarily. 

The masked maiden grasped the gun and threw it away. He grabbed her leg at the ankle, whipped up, and threw her to the ground. She landed on her back. As she did, she heard the voices again. They had to be closing in on them. Her attacker was leaping upon her, his right hand held up in position for a karate blow. 

Her booted feet caught him hard in the chin, ratcheting his head back. The double-kick had hit him full-force. She flipped to her feet, grasped him by the shirtfront, pulled him downward, and smashed upward with a hard knee to the jaw. From what she could tell, he was out of it, but she smashed a chop to the side of his neck as he fell just to make sure. 

Another probing line of light. She hugged the ground. Batgirl glanced at the Uzi nearby, easily taken into hand, and wondered... 

A second laser was visible. They seemed to criss-cross briefly. If they hadn't seen her already, they were confident enough that they would. She began to edge away from the fallen Cultist's body. Time enough, hopefully, to make the trees. 

Except that one Cultist stepped into view and the light of his laser-sight shone directly on her forehead. She thought she saw him smile. 

Then he went forward as an object of considerable mass and speed struck him from behind, and the blast of gunfire spattered upward into the night and the leaves and branches, bringing some down. Batgirl was up on her feet and charging, even before she could identify her helpmate. 

Old Robin was standing behind the attacker, who was now on his hands and knees. And for all his age, the masked man looked fully capable of separating the Cultist into his component pieces. He kicked the man hard in the ass, putting him flat on the ground and making him yelp. The man still held his Uzi firmly in one hand. 

Before Batgirl could get there, the elder Dick Grayson's boot came up, then smashed down on the Cultist's wrist, breaking it. His victim howled in pain. Old Robin's hands went to the man's neck, worked their magic, and rendered the man unconscious. 

Then Batgirl tackled Dick and sent him to the ground beside their foe just as a burst of powerful bullets went through the place their bodies had occupied, a few seconds ago. 

They turned their heads quickly in the direction from which the shots had come. The third Cobraite had turned his laser off. It had made him harder to spot. But he was close enough to turn them into spatters of gore, far enough away that they couldn't reach him with anything but weapons. He was about to fire again. 

A small arrow from a crossbow slammed straight through his hand. He screamed, and the thought of firing any sort of gun was superseded by that of pulling the shaft out, binding his wound, and getting the hell out of there. 

The Huntress, dropping from another tree, didn't intend to give him the chance. The masked beauty's long leg lashed out, nailing him where it would have hurt most if his pierced hand hadn't been hurting him more. Then she smashed him three times with powerful blows to the sides of his head, and finished with a punch on the jaw. The Cobraman looked like a string-cut puppet. 

"Guess we all turned up at the right time," said Robin, with a grin. 

"Yeah, and the right place," said Batgirl. "Thanks to those tracer units in our belts. And thanks to both of you, too." 

The Huntress said, "There isn't time for that, now. We don't know how many other Cobras are in the wood. And we still have to find Starfire." 

A shot. 

The threesome whirled to see another Cobra Cultist fall from a tree. His Uzi hit ground only an instant before he did. The Bat-Squad trio hustled toward the man, but all of them had guessed what a second's examination told them: dead. 

"One shot," said Robin. "Through the heart." 

"Who did it?" asked the Huntress. "They wouldn't kill their own. Especially not when the guy had us flat-footed there." 

There was a laugh in the darkness. A great and powerful laugh, that came from a short distance but seemed to emanate without precise origin. None of them had ever heard that kind of laugh before. Not quite. 

"The Joker!" opined the Huntress. 

"No," said Batgirl, laying a hand on her forearm. "No way. I've heard the Joker laugh. That's not him." 

"Maybe that green-haired friend of yours?", offered Robin. 

She shook her head. "Not the Creeper. He doesn't use a gun and doesn't kill. And he doesn't laugh like that either." 

"Then who?", asked Helena. 

The laugh had died away. Nobody seemed to have an answer. 

Finally, Batgirl said, "Let's go find Kory." 

The other two decided that was the best thing to do at the time, and the three of them set off. At least, if there was another pair of eyes watching them, it might not be that of an enemy. 

Somehow, that didn't seem to reassure them at all. 

-B- 

Alfred cradled his gun and thought of times past as he looked through the window. His vision was tinted by the infra-red goggles he wore. He wondered how several battles with the Nazis in France would have gone, had these sort of things been available back then. Of course, had they been in use, the Boche might have had them as well. 

Master Bruce would have never let him use a gun, let alone the Uzi he had bought surreptitiously. On the other hand, Master Bruce's sort of warfare was much different than the kind Alfred Pennyworth had waged forty years past. He had been in occupied Paris and other parts of the country, fighting the Germans with the French underground. It was there he had met and mated with the woman they called Mademoiselle Marie. Only years later did he find that she had produced a daughter, who in turn produced Julia Remarque, who was enconsced with Alfred's niece Daphne in one of the safest places in the entire mansion. 

As if any place was safe in it, now. 

He had killed before, yes. Killed many of the damned Boche, and had not the least regret about it. Enough men and women had fallen on his side. Children, even. One could not witness that and feel that the enemy should be repaid in kind. 

Yet, he had managed to survive, and went back to England a hero, and took to the stage again as a second-string Shakespearean actor. But when his father died, Alfred acquiesced to his sire's last wish: that he serve the Waynes as a butler, as his father had before the war broke out. So he had chucked the footlights, packed a derby and umbrella, and come to the States to be a major domo to some playboy and his ward. 

Fortunately, that had turned out not to be the case. On one night, he heard a voice coming from the grandfather clock in the library, asking for help. The clock proved to be mounted on a secret door, which opened onto a flight of stairs, which led to a Batcave below. There he saw a sight he would never forget: Master Bruce, wounded, and unmasked, in his Batman costume, with master Dick, dressed as Robin, supporting him. 

The shock had worn off within seconds. Alfred knew what to do with battle wounds. Within the hour, Master Bruce was bandaged and abed, smiling at Alfred and glad that he could share his secret with another man at last. And Alfred, for his part, surged with pride, glad to be under command to a warrior again. In effect, batman to the Batman. 

He smiled a bit, even now. 

The lights were out in the outer rooms of the house. A mike was at his throat, an earplug in his ear. The other warriors left to him were at other points, waiting and observing. Flamebird, Robin, the Cat King, and the Batwoman from the other Earth. The latter two were as old as himself. Robin was a teenager. Flamebird, the former Bat-Girl, hadn't seen action between the time of her leaving the Teen Titans and her recent stints with the Bat-Squad, though she acquitted herself well in the latter instance. 

Lines from the Bard came to him. Those about "Once more into the breach." Those which went, "And damned be him who cries, 'Hold, enough'." 

But what he was thinking of most was Mistress Selina, dying in a room within the manor, and of Masters Bruce and Dick, together again after some time apart, gone to battle Kobra--and time. 

He was sitting in a darkened room to the side of a window, well in the shadows, with a mechanism beside him. He was waiting. 

The window shattered and a grenade pumping gas fell in. 

Alfred gave thanks for nose filters, ducked under the window, and pitched it back outside. He raised the Uzi above the level of the windowsill. Shots went overhead. He answered them with his own, then ducked back and rolled to safety. His aged body protested, and he knew he could not fight as he had in decades past. 

The green light on one face of the machine indicated that the motion detectors on the south side had been tripped. No big mystery. 

"They're attacking," he said into his mike. 

"Roger that," said Jason. 

The confounded boy sounded as if he'd aged to 21 within a week. As perhaps he had. 

-B- 

Batman had already charged up several flights of stairs by the time Nightwing got to a phone and called up the cops. Some, he learned from the desk sergeant, were already on the scene, tending to the Outsiders and putting cuffs on the Cobramen. "Lieutenant Bullock's there, too," the sarge reported. 

"Yeah, well, get some guys upstairs," rapped Nightwing. "We've got a lot of wilted Cobras around here, and I don't want 'em waking up and threatening hostages. We've got work to do." 

"Can you stay with them till our men arrive?" asked the cop. 

Nightwing debated it. Bruce needed him, needed him like hell. But there were still innocent people on this floor, and wherever the Cobras could get to. He looked at the scattered squad of Cobra Cultists lying on the floor of the hall. One seemed to be stirring. 

"How fast can they get here?" he asked, walking over to the Cultist. 

"Don't know, but I'd expect 'em in about five minutes, fifteen tops," said the desk sergeant. 

The masked man's boot came up, and crashed down on the Cobraman's head. The victim subsided. 

"I'll give you five," said Nightwing. "They'd better be here by then." 

-B-   


Batman was conscious of everything as he mounted the stairs. One step which gave too much, one crevice between head and body of step, one out-of-place bit with the railing, telltale shadows, sounds, smells that might portend attack around the next bend, or from above, or even behind...these all had to be taken into consideration. But he had done this so often, trained himself as to what to notice, that it was almost an automatic function. 

Like a bullet train, he was driving himself towards Kobra. 

He was conscious of being somewhat fatigued. He was aware of the fact that, in their last battle, Kobra had beaten him. He knew how many hours he had been on his feet, how much fighting he had done, how much stress he had been under for the entire week. 

All points in Kobra's favor. 

None of that mattered a damn to him right now. The only thing that mattered was getting to Kobra, beating him, getting the antidote, and getting it back to Selina in time. 

(what if it isn't in time) 

(SHUT UP!) 

And if it really wasn't in time? What could he do to Kobra then? Would he abandon his oath against killing? Could he really live with the laughter of the man who killed his wife in his ears? 

Best not to worry about that now. Just concentrate on the task ahead. On doing the job. 

He promised himself to take great pleasure in it, and took another flight of stairs up the well. 

-B- 

Selina Kyle Wayne had been trying to sort out her dreams for some hours now, and was about to give up on the effort. It seemed too much for her. Everything seemed too much, now, in the red and black velvet without substance that made up her current world. 

She was conscious vaguely of heat and stench. Perhaps that was her body talking to her, as much as it could incur into her dream. Evidently she had not been rescued yet. Or perhaps (she sighed, and did not want to admit it) she was beyond rescue. 

No. No no nonono... 

Bruce...would come through for her. But who was Bruce? Somebody in a mask. Face morphing into a bat...scary... She wanted to shiver, but knew this was beyond her. Everything seemed beyond her. 

The faces of her father, of Jason, of Dick, of Helena, of Alfred, of her sister, they all wavered around as if called up one last time by dying memory cells. Was her heart still beating? Were her lungs still breathing? Impossible to tell, at this point. 

Dream. Not quite nightmare, more illusion, delusion, red jungle now, with cats of all sorts waiting on her, seeming to be on all sides of her, before her, behind her, looking on friendly, cocking their heads, angling their ears, wondering when she would cross over... 

Ah, it would be so nice to cross over. But what if those fangs were bared at her in a snarl, once she did? One of the cats, a small ocelot, seemed to snarl at her. The others looked at it as if it had committed a great faux pas, and it subsided. 

Well, now. This was not such a bad welcoming committee. But she wanted to be with Bruce 

(who was Bruce?) 

and her new boy and try to be something she'd never quite managed to be 

(what had she managed to be? Something with cats, yes, had to be) 

and there was someone nearby her who seemed vaguely human and that was probably out of place, but then again, so was she, and the cats didn't seem to mind her any more than they did Selina. 

The strange part about it was that the other person was fairly well defined. A woman. She wore a black top and short skirt, plus flat-heeled shoes. That was more sensible, though Selina knew she had an image to present, and tried to wear high-heeled boots as the Catwoman 

(that was what she had been, then, no wonder there were cats) 

even though the damned things were so hard to run in she'd chucked them for flat heels. 

The woman was pale and had kind of frizzy hair but looked very pretty, a bit short, kind of like Poison Ivy although nobody was quite as short as Ivy (laugh). She seemed a bit cordial, which was nice. She was sitting on a stone seat that looked a bit Grecian in style. 

"Hello, Selina," she said in a surprisingly audible voice. 

"Hello," she said. "Who are you?" 

The woman fidgeted a bit with her hands. "Well, I may be your guide. You're not quite here yet, but I like to be on time, so I've gotten a little early on you. Come on and sit down." 

Selina, who appeared to be dressed in a white gown of sorts, walked over (on what surface, she didn't know) and sat beside the woman, though the latter shrank a bit from her. "Are you afraid of me?" asked Selina. 

The woman shook her head. "No. I'm not afraid of anybody, really. It's just that we mustn't touch just yet." 

"Oh," said Selina. "All right. Are the cats comfortable with us being here?" 

Her new acquaintance nodded. "They don't worry. This is just part of your inner landscape, Selina. You loved cats, and they love you. We can stay here, or somewhere else, if you want to conjure it." 

"No," said Selina. "I like being with the cats." She reached out her hand, tentatively stroked the head of one fine black panther, just like Hecate. It purred, growlingly, and nudged her side with its nose. 

"So what do we do?" Selina asked. 

"Depends," said the woman. "Do you play cards?" 

"Sure. Hearts all right?" 

"Perfect," said the woman, and a deck of cards appeared in her right hand. Selina could have sworn that it had been up her sleeve, except the woman's top didn't have any sleeves. The lady began to deal. 

"Just one thing," said the woman. "Don't touch my hands, just pick up the cards after they lay. Okay?" 

"Fine by me," said Selina. 

The other started shuffling the deck. "I always talk better over a hand or two, anyway. Your sister sends her regards." 

"Oh, really?" Selina smiled. "That's good. When will I get to see her?" 

"Pretty soon, probably," said the black-haired girl, as she started slapping down pasteboards on the stone seat. 

-B-   


Robin of Earth-Two parted the bushes and looked at the fallen Starfire on the ground. Still unconscious, but breathing. He could see that from where he was. Good sign, possibly one of the best so far this night. Putting his wrist-mike to his hand, he spoke: "Come on. Carefully." 

The two others, Batgirl and Huntress, emerged from nearby points in the wood. The three of them approached the girl from Tamaran, who was sprawled on her face. Robin examined her leg, saw a nasty burn on the side of it, which had even seared away part of her boot. He rummaged in his utility belt, found a tube of burn ointment, squirted some on his glove and gingerly began to apply it to the seared area. The alien girl's leg began to quiver. 

"Don't," said Helena. "You might be hurting her." 

"No, he's doing right," said Barbara. "As much as she's going to hurt, we need her awake and with us." 

Batgirl knelt at Starfire's head and turned her over. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was regular. She put her hand in the girl's mouth to see that nothing was in danger of being swallowed, and Starfire quivered harder. Quickly, she pulled her fingers out, but slapped her hand back down on the golden girl's mouth again to keep her from crying out in pain if she awoke. 

"We don't need to give our position away any more than we have already," she explained to the Huntress. 

That was when approximately when three tasers hit them and filled their world with blue-white flashes of electrical pain. 

Batgirl tried to resist screaming, tried to resist jerking like a puppet on speed, tried to get her fingers to obey long enough to snatch a batarang from her belt, tried to concentrate on helping Robin and Huntress, who were doing the St. Vitus Dance worse perhaps than she was, tried to pump her anger at seeing the Cobra crew melting out of the darkness in spots even her infra-red goggles hadn't picked out, but...nothing...seemed...to...be...working...except...her...pain...receptors... 

She heard what sounded like Dick and Helena's screams, too. That wasn't surprising. 

But the whoosh of sound just afterward and the screams of agony that didn't come from her friends were. 

The blue-fire pain faded, dropping down to agonizing, then to hurtful, then to almost tolerable, and her cries seemed to be tapering off to whimpering, so that was probably all right. Her vision was clearing enough to see old Robin and the Huntress moaning, the tasers no longer contacting their bodies, the wiring from them melted. 

There was a source of light, and it came from several fires. Four were from screaming Cobramen. The fifth and sixth were the hands of Koryand'r, who had raised herself to a sitting position and was still holding burning energy in her mitts. It lit her face from below and made her look almost fearsome. Her expression was that of a satisfied fury. 

The Cobras were rolling on the ground, still howling in pain, putting out the fires as best they could. But they were burned only slightly less well than Kory herself had been, earlier. She sent another starbolt at the grass near them. It burst. They managed to pick themselves up and flee. 

"Go!" she yelled. 

"Kory," gasped Batgirl. "You're...you saved us." 

The fury from Tamaran smiled at Barbara. "You saved me. But...I...am in pain." She winced, gritting her fine teeth. 

Robin and the Huntress were rising to a semi-standing position, trying to shake off the effects of the electrical shock. "Kory," said the Huntress. "We must get you back to the mansion. Can you...fly?" 

"I cannot," said the princess of Tamaran. "My leg...is burned too badly. But if you will help me up...we may walk our way back. And fight our way back...if need be." 

Robin helped her up on her right side, and even in the moonlight, to Batgirl he looked all of his fifty-plus years. Helena came up on Kory's left side to support her there. Starfire held her injured left leg with the knee bent, careful not to brush it too much against the Huntress. 

"I'll go point," sighed Batgirl. 

The four of them began the journey back to the manor. Looking in that direction, Batgirl saw that the lights were out. 

Whatever was going down there, they would probably be too late to affect. 

-B- 

The Outsiders had, for the most part, been revived by Gotham's Finest, and Metamorpho and Element Girl had transformed parts of their bodies into acid to dissolve Plastic Man from his polymer prison. Nobody seemed to have much of any idea what was happening inside, except that both Batman and Nightwing had gone in and Kobra was supposed to be inside. 

Black Lightning used his wrist-radio to call up Dick. "What's up, Wing?" he asked. "We're coming in, but brief us. Briefly." 

The voice of Nightwing came back. "I'm on my way, but a long way behind Batman. He must be almost at the top. Kobra's probably in the penthouse. Go there, but...proceed with caution." 

"Received and noted," said Jeff. He turned to the others. "Morph, Rainie. Get into gas-form and get up to the penthouse. Halo, Looker: think you can do a lift-'em-up number on the rest of us?" 

"Sure. As always," said Looker, whose eyes began to glow again. 

Katana held up her hand. "Hold, Looker. Talia and Faraday are not with us. Leave me. I must find them." 

"Gosh, Katana, don't you think Batman needs us worst now?", said Halo, confusedly. 

The she-samurai looked back at her charge, grimly. "I must find the woman. You must be enough." 

"We've got no time to argue," snapped Black Lightning. "Looker, lift us!" 

Harvey Bullock, standing near him, said, "Don't you want police escort, for cripes' sake?" 

"No time," said Jeff. 

His feet were already off the ground, as Looker and Halo levitated themselves and their comrades, except for Katana. 

The red-masked woman was already sprinting into the building. Bullock gestured with his cigar to two cops standing by. "Muldoon, Tracy. You just gonna stand there? Get after her! You, you, you, and you, follow them. Now!" 

But by the time the bluecoats were inside the door, Katana was nowhere to be found. 

Which made things simpler for her, as far as she was concerned. 

-B- 

More than a few windows had been shattered in stately Wayne Manor. Gunfire had damaged several rooms within. Alfred had returned the fire, and so had Karl Kyle. Batwoman and Flamebird had been content thus far with throwing gas-bombs at the enemy, though they suspected they might be using nose-filters as well. 

The cops knew the mansion had been breached, but Gordon and company were still too far off at this moment to be of any help. Assuming, that was, that they could find the Cobramen in the dark. 

This wasn't a fight against Gotham criminals. This was flat-out war, and Alfred's team were the only real counterforces. 

Batwoman felt the stiffness of her joints as she crouched by a window, and sighed. Unlike the JSA members, she'd had no staving off of her aging process. Here she was now, an old woman, expected to shoot people to death if they got inside the house, on a world not her own. It made as much sense as Hell. 

She chanced a communication by wrist radio with Karl. "What are you doing?" 

"Just a minute, love," said Karl. "Ah. There!" 

There was a WHOOMP! of flame and noise in the night, some distance from the mansion. Men might have been yelling, but it was hard to tell. 

"What'd you do?" she cried. 

"Just borrowed your Flying Bat and had Alfred help rig up a little adaptation," came Karl's voice. "Small fiberoptic camera on top. Infra-red lens. Little incendiary bomb underneath. Servos to drop it. I saw a nest of Cobras, and I think I've got 'em." 

"You killed them," said Batwoman, without emotion. 

"Kathy," said the Cat King. "They want to kill us." 

"That's not what the family stands for!" 

"Well, if we don't do it, very shortly there isn't going to be any family to stand. And that includes you, me, and Selina." 

"You used my Flying Bat. You didn't ask me." 

"I knew what you'd say." 

"Damn!" She clicked off the wrist-radio and wondered why in the hell she'd ever gotten mixed up in this escapade, knowing even as she asked it the reason why. She just wished that the cost of protecting Selina, and helping Bruce, hadn't been blood. 

She barely had time to hear the object falling through the window before the blinding flash of light erupted. 

Kathy Kane cried out. A flash-grenade. Even with her goggles on, it blinded her. She staggered back against the wall, felt of a door, opened it, went inside, slammed and locked it behind her. The Batwoman felt for a wall, reeled down it, knocked something to the floor that fell with a bang, and kept going. 

She had to keep going till she found safety, till her vision cleared, or both. 

Till then, she was blind as a bat. 

-B- 

Jason Todd, in his Robin outfit, was the only one in the room with Selina and Dr. Dundee. The old doctor was tense, having heard the explosive sounds from near and farther away. But his professionalism was unhindered. He administered another injection of stimulant to Selina, doubting it would do more than make her twitch. 

He was losing the battle. Even if Green Lantern and all his friends returned, he doubted he could bring Selina Wayne back from the gates of death. 

But he still had to try. Hell, hadn't the docs who worked over JFK done as much, even when that gaping wound in his head told them as clear as day that the only thing his body had left was mechanical function? And that only for a few minutes? They had to do something, everything they could, just to prove to themselves and to the world afterward that they had. That no effort had been spared. 

With Selina, though, it was more personal. She might have been the one to brighten the Batman's grim world with love, bear him a blood son, maybe even get the idiot to retire and raise a family. God knew, he was trying hard with Jason, but there was no way to be a proper father to the boy by day while taking him out as Robin by night. 

Although it seemed to have worked well enough in the case of young Grayson. 

Now, Dundee was a combat surgeon. Even though he'd never seen action before, even if this war was undeclared, it was as deadly as any jungle fighting in 'Nam or South America. Well, if that be the case, he would attend to his patient. And he would see her through, or see her to her rest with as much ease as possible. 

Jason said something he didn't catch. "What?", asked Dundee. 

"I'm going out there," said Robin. He had a sling weapon from the utility belt already in his hand. 

"Don't be a fool," said Dundee. "You're too young, Jason. The Batman would want you by Selina's side." 

"Maybe he shoulda been there instead," said Jason, opening the door. "I've got the defense systems on, Doc. This is the family's last stand. I'm standing with 'em." 

"Jason!" 

But the boy was gone, and the door locked behind him. 

Dundee sighed and turned back to Selina. 

He didn't know which of them was sweating the most. 

-B- 

There had been a guard on the floor below the penthouse, and they weren't even worth mentioning. Now they were decorating the carpet. A steel door stood between the Batman and the final level. He felt for the tools in his utility belt. 

"Batman." 

A voice. The voice of Kobra. 

"I congratulate you on your sterling effort. Truly, your wife would be pleased. However, I have a final trump your side cannot counter: a force-field which I have activated. It encases this entire floor, above it, below it, and on all sides. Your allies cannot penetrate it. Nor can you. But there is a way in." 

"What is it?" said the Batman, softly. 

Kobra's voice issued from the hidden speakers again. "We have always known it would come down to this. The final battle, the Ragnarok. If I am your Midgard Serpent, and you are my Thor, then we must fight. However, no one has yet prophecied which of us will be slain, and which be slayer." 

"What do you want?" Batman's voice was icier than even he would have believed. 

"I will lift the underside of the field and open the door for three seconds. You will be admitted. We will battle. If you win, you may have the antidote for your wife's condition. But even I cannot tell whether or not it will be effective, at this stage--" 

Batman had already thrown himself at the door. Kobra heard the bonging sound he made against it. 

"Very well," said the over-villain. Batman heard the servos controlling the door locks moving. An instant later, he had thrown the door open and had bolted through. 

The servos closed the door and locked it behind him, and an audible hum indicated that the force-field was in place again. 

The room was large, palatial, even more gaudy than what Bruce Wayne could have provided for himself. But the Batman's attention was less on the decor than on the other three people in it, at the other end of the penthouse. 

One was the half-naked Eve, regarding him with the deadly calm and gaze of--the metaphor was unavoidable--a snake. 

The second was Melissa MacNeil, clad in a purple dress, looking mesmerized as she sat in a chair. 

And the third was already in his costume of gold and green, looking as physically powerful as any foe of comparable size Batman had ever met. 

"Welcome," said Kobra. "Now, let us begin." 

To be continued...   



	21. Chapter 23

bato23a Batman and the Outsiders: 

Dance With the Demons 

Part 23 

by DarkMark 

Jason Todd, the second Robin of his Earth, saw the scumbags clambering over the window of the room Batwoman had vacated. The large steel ball was already in his sling. He let fly at the one with his foot on the sill, and prayed that whatever the Lord gave to David against Goliath was still in available supply. 

Evidently it was. The Cobraman took the hit right on the forehead, cried out, and fell back, dropping two stories. No way to tell if he was out or not. No time for that right now. 

Another Cobra Cultist was already in the room. He had a weapon that resembled a Kalishnikov, or so it seemed to young Robin in the moonlight that was the only illumination. The thing was pointed at Jason and the dude had to be only an instant away from firing. 

That was instant enough. Jason executed one of the somersault flips he'd been doing since he was six years old in the circus, and put his feet right where he wanted them: in the face of the bad guy. He heard the report of the gun, felt his cape pulling away as bullets tore holes in it. Robin turned his body so that it landed, on three points, away from the path of gunfire. 

The guy was rocked, but not out. Robin stamped the gun to the floor, raised him up, smashed a hard little fist into the guy's belly. The Cobraman grunted in pain, tried to slug back, missed as the boy ducked. Robin rolled, grabbed the gun, and noted that the Cobraman had taken a knife from his uniform only a fifth of a second before smashing the weapon against the side of his head. He went down. 

Another pair of hands were at the sill. Robin changed his grip on the weapon, shot a stream of bullets through the window. The hands let go and their owner fell a couple of stories. Several seconds later, Robin threw the unconscious Cultist out after him. 

Luck, he thought. Luck, luck, luck. Lots of them out there, only a few of us in here, and they don't mind killing. How long can I go before I have to...to... 

Someone was in the room behind him. He whirled, the gun out instinctively. A woman. Flamebird. 

Her hand was raised. "Hey, kid! It's just me. Betty. Put that thing away." 

"Don't know if I should," said Robin, lowering the gun. 

"We're not killers, Robin." 

"They are," he said, pointing to the window. 

A grenade bounced in. Flamebird, using the reflexes that had made her a pro tennis champ, scooped it up and threw it out the window while slamming Jason to the floor and then covering him with her body. It exploded outside, and they kept down. This time it wasn't a gas or flash grenade. It was the real thing, and it did damage. To the outer wall of the building, and maybe to the Cultists he'd just sent two stories down. He hoped not. 

Flamebird said, "We've got to get to the Batcave. There's more stuff there that we can use." 

"They can get in," he hissed. 

"How many grenades do you think I can catch?" she retorted. 

The two of them scurried, crouching, towards the door, through it, and down the hall. Flamebird didn't say anything more about Jason's gun, and he didn't let go of it. 

-B- 

Batman approached Kobra as slowly as the master villain was coming for him. "We can do this easy, Kobra," he said. "Give me the antidote. If it works, you go free. You have the word of the Batman on that." 

The master of the Cobra Cult sent his tongue licking out towards Batman. The prosthetic portion of it extended several inches beyond his mouth before reeling back in. "You waste both of our times. Both of us know the wine of violence. Both of us know that this must end here, with a long and heady draft of it. I will toast your death with it." 

"You talk too much," said Batman. 

Both of them lunged at each other. 

Their paths of attack were intended to expose the least of their person to attack, while attempting a strike on the opponent. Textbook stuff, as far as intentions went. They varied it on the way, each customization done within fractions of a second. 

Strike. 

Both veered away from each other. Batman felt the pressure of a hand-blow against his chest so hard that it almost broke bone. But he knew from the impact his hand had made that Kobra had taken a blow to the underside of his chin that did just as much damage, possibly more. 

Too bad the scum didn't have his tongue out at the time. 

They had time enough to glance at each other. Batman saw the naked evil in the man's eyes. His own were shielded by the mirrored lenses, but Kobra didn't have to look into them to know the Batman's hatred. 

Then they struck again. This time, they didn't part so quickly. Smashing blows, karate strikes, finger thrusts, knees, even kicks. As a parting shot, Kobra headbutted Batman in the forehead before they separated. 

It hurt. 

The World's Deadliest Man, as his enemies had named him, smiled at Batman. His tongue flickered out again, and back. 

"What else did you steal from Kiss?" snapped Batman, his hands up. 

Kobra roared and came at him again. He extended his phoney tongue to its full length, wrapped it about Batman's forearm, drew him near, while sweeping his green cape above Batman's head to blind him. He landed three blows and was readying a knee-thrust when five knuckles came out of somewhere beyond his expectations and radared in on his face. 

WHAM. 

Kobra was thrown backward, as if from an explosion. He landed flat-assed on the marble floor, barely able to recover enough to spin away. Batman's foot struck an instant after he vacated the spot. Part of the villain's face was numb, and his brain felt, for a few moments, as if it were occupying the wrong container. 

The man must not be underestimated, he told himself. He is too good for egotistic dismissal. 

Batman was at him again with a spinning back-kick that he managed to take on the shoulder. Kobra rolled again, out of reach, coming up at a vantage point in which he caught the eyes of Eve. 

In them, he saw two things. One was arousal from the battle. The woman was a fighter herself, and combat was a certain aphrodisiac to her. 

The second, which he could not mistake, was a certain dimunition in her regard for him. Yes, it was there, slight but--unmistakable. If he were defeated by the Batman, his stock would dip considerably lower in her bank. He might even have to threaten to kill her in order to... 

No. That would not be necessary. He would not lose this battle. 

Batman was upon him again, striking hard and low, with a velocity he could not match to block. His gut became a reservoir of pain. He almost felt the blow with the front of his spine. 

The factor of his wife's impending death was not, as Kobra hoped, making him wilder or less careful. It had concentrated his fury, like light into a laser beam. This time, the Batman must be fought intelligently. 

His arm was within reach. Kobra grabbed it under one limb, as quickly as his namesake, and thrust his stiff fingers into a cluster of nerves. 

The Batman's eyes widened behind his lenses. He, too, knew this trick. Kobra had struck a nerve center that, for a few minutes, would paralyze his arm. The numbness which spread through his right shoulder, arm, and hand was there only a second before the pain from Kobra kneeing him in a most sensitive spot. 

Batman sagged to the floor, fighting against numbness, fighting against pain. 

A double-handed blow came like a concrete block dropped between his shoulders. 

He was losing the fight. 

-B- 

Commissioner Gordon and his men came upon the cop cars and the squad who had been rendered unconscious by the Cobramen's gas. Some of them were revived easily. None of them, Gordon guessed, would be ready for active duty just then. Nonetheless, they were all alive. That was something. 

Sgt. Baker was able to talk to Gordon. "A buncha raghead types, Commissioner, sir. In a couple of vans. Don't know what they did to us. I tried, sir. Tried to radio for help." 

"How many?" asked Gordon, Captain O'Hara beside him. 

"Don't know," rasped Baker. "Over ten. Maybe twenty. Pretty big vans. Sir." 

"Were they armed? Costumed?" 

"Don't know about arms," Baker said. "Didn't get. Chance to frisk 'em. No costumes. No costumes." 

There was a sound of a small explosion from some unknown distance, carrying in the stillness of the night. Gordon looked in the direction he thought it came from. There was a brief pinpoint of light between him and the horizon. 

It was closer to the Wayne mansion. 

"We'd better be off, sir," said O'Hara. 

Barbara, thought Gordon. Barbara. 

"One car stays behind with these men," said Gordon, rushing to O'Hara's vehicle. "The rest come with us." 

-B- 

The Cultist felt as though Naja-Naja himself were looking down upon him. There could be no other explanation, outside of his great luck. 

The defensive devices inside the Batcave had taken out several of the squad he came in with. Electric charges, gases even the nose filters were only partially effective against, sonic blasts that left them in pain and on their knees before they found the source and blasted it. On top of that, the one called Robin and a girl in red and yellow had appeared from nowhere and, when they shot at them, the youth had shot back. 

There had been a brief battle. The two defenders had taken refuge behind the Batmobile, which appeared to be bulletproof. It did not matter. Both the Cultist and his fellow Cultist knew that the mission was not primarily to destroy the Batman's family, but to destroy the Catwoman, who had been Batman's ally and one-time love. 

They had both spied a flight of stairs leading to a door. He had let his partner go first, which was wise, as a touch of the knob on the door shocked the man into unconsciousness. It took all of an acid spray that the Cultist had come prepared with to melt away the metal around the lock. But when it was done, the Cobraman was able to kick the door open. Curiously, what looked like clockworks were visible through the hole. 

Once beyond it, he rushed through the room beyond, which proved to be a library. A grandfather clock was on the door, but he did not waste curiosity on it. Battle was still raging behind him. It was possible that the defenders would come for him, if they were somehow victorious. But that would not prevent him from his goal. 

If only one of the Cult made it into the room where the Wayne woman was dying, and ensured her death with his own hand, that would be sufficient. And Destiny was pointing out clearly that the one would have to be him. 

He chanced a look behind him, briefly. No human there, only a few shadows. 

Blessing himself, the Cobraman rushed through the room and beyond it, knowing that somewhere within this mansion was the woman for whom his Uzi was intended. 

Naja-Naja would lead him to her. 

-B- 

Kobra had smashed several more blows into the Batman's neck, back, and legs, and had drawn his booted foot back for a kick to the side of his foe's head. Of course, it was on the side in which Batman's arm had been disabled. He didn't dare hesitate in its execution, and didn't think that he did. 

Nonetheless, Batman managed to turn himself over in a great whirl, grab Kobra's flying ankle with his good hand, and hold it as immobile as if it had been in a vise. Indeed, the grip felt someting like a vise as well. Kobra cried out in pain, stamped Batman's wrist with his other foot, got free. In another instant, Batman knifed his body about, landed a booted kick to Kobra's midsection, and threw him across the room. 

Kobra struggled for breath. He had hurt the man, but...he had underestimated him as well. The Batman's physical prowess was unbelievable. The punishment he had given him would have put any three strong men away. But there the man was, struggling to his feet, one arm hanging as limply as if it had been shot. Still, the menace and might of the Batman was...well, it was almost beautiful. 

Still, the man could be beaten. He had done it once. And if all else failed, there was his belt of teleportation. But...no, one must not think of that. This night, he was here to destroy the Batman. To murder him with his own two hands. That was his sole purpose for being here in this place, at this time, when he could have been at an untold number of other places. 

Finishing up business. 

He had a chance to look at Melissa MacNeil. Still she had a vacant stare, which was to be expected. After all, was she not his mental slave? And had she not been so ever since he took her from the arms of his brother Jason, ran her through the Lazarus Pit, and then had her plunge a knife into Jason's back? 

That freed him, once and for all, of the "Corsican brothers" malady of feeling everything his brother had felt. Of course, without the neural interruptor which he had worn, he would have died along with Jason. 

But Melissa looked a bit out of sorts. Almost as though she was trying to cry. 

He shrugged, mentally. Strange what one can observe in an instant between battle. 

The Batman was on his feet again. With a cry, Kobra rushed at him again. This time, he vowed, the man would not rise anew. 

-B- 

There was nothing to be done for it except to withdraw to the inner room, which Alfred was doing, taking Batwoman and the Cat King with him. There they would make their last stand, guarding Selina and Dr. Dundee with their lives. He only hoped that Julia and Daphne would remain hidden from their assailants. He knew what soldiers were apt to do with women. Especially attractive women. 

"This is no good, Alfred," snapped Karl Kyle. "We need to stand and fight." 

"You mean, stand and kill," said Kathy, bitterly. 

"We will stand and do as we must," confirmed Alfred, leading the way with Uzi in hand. "But we must fall back and defend the person these bounders are trying to murder. Now, please...the enemy is undoubtedly in the house already. Make little noise." 

There was a sound of gunfire down the hall. 

Alfred and his friends forgot about not making noise and hauled rear as fast as possible in that direction. 

-B- 

The door lock had come off, spraying gas from a boobytrap, when the man shot through it. Dr. Dundee had time to mentally thank God the bed, himself, and Selina were out of the path of fire. 

A man shoved his way through the door. He wore a strange costume, with a mask, but Dundee knew a soldier when he saw him. The man was raising his weapon. It looked automatic, looked loaded, and looked like it would shoot through Dundee and Selina a lot easier than it shot through a wooden door. 

Dundee wanted to rush the man, but his legs just wouldn't. They wouldn't. He'd never faced a man with a gun before. He was not the Batman, only his doctor. All he could do was step between Selina and the man, interpose his body. And Selina was barely breathing, totally comatose. She would, thankfully, fall from this state into death without much noticing. 

"You--", said Dundee, wondering what to say for a second word. 

The man had his gun up and his finger was whitening on the trigger. 

That was when a shadow to the side of him and between him and Dundee began to lengthen. 

It did more than lengthen. It became massive, tall, and, yes, human-shaped. As if...as if the shadow were a man. 

Dundee saw it, knew that the gunman could have fired in that interval, but knew the man was as surprised as he at the arrival of a man who simply couldn't have been there. A man who had formed himself, seemingly, out of a shadow in a fairly well-lit room. 

A man in a black slouch hat, a black opera cape sort of thing, and clothing of the darkest hue of black, all the way down to the shoes. 

The man had his back turned to Dundee, but his hands were out, and a gun was in each of them. They looked like .45's. Antique .45's. 

And the Cobra Cultist's mouth was open, and he was hesitating just an instant too long. 

The newcomer stood and delivered. His guns blasted again and again, and Dundee saw the pattern of the bullet impacts, throwing up bone and flesh and blood, all aimed at the man's spine, methodically, from pelvis to clavicle, impacting him in the central vertical line of his body. 

It was horrifying. 

The man was thrown against the door he had just come through, shutting it again with the impact. The two halves of his body were barely attached. Yet, he was still alive. Barely. Though his gun was dropped by his side as if it were no more than a children's toy. 

From the back, Dundee saw the newcomer's right hand holstering the .45 it held, then going to his face, and pulling something down from it. From the sides, it appeared to be a red scarf of some sort. 

The effect on the fallen Cobraman was unbelievable. The man's eyes widened, and, even in the few seconds before they glossed over, he looked as though he had stared at the Angel of Death. 

Which, in a way, he had. 

Then the head fell to one side, and all that he could do afterward was a bit of bleeding and release of bodily fluids. 

The newcomer laughed. 

He laughed loud and long and horribly. Even the Joker never possessed that sort of laugh. It chilled Dundee almost as badly as staring down the barrel of the crook's Uzi. Was this man, then, another hitman, competing for the kill? 

Somehow, Dundee doubted it. 

The man in the dark outfit turned to face Dundee. The scarf was pulled back up under his hawklike nose, and his eyes were hard and cold as anthracite. Yet, behind them burned the flame of justice, not evil. 

Dundee remembered to breathe. 

The dark man spoke. 

"The Batman has more friends than perhaps he remembers. Does the woman yet live?" 

The doctor looked behind him. Selina Wayne's chest still rose and fell, fitfully. He nodded, haltingly. "Yes. Yes, she does." 

The black-dressed man paused, then said something else. "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. But its harvester can always be found...in the shadow." 

"I..." 

Then the man in black simply was not there. 

For an instant, Dundee thought that he could see him, dimly, perhaps in semitransparence, like a 3-D hologram one could see through. Then, whether through a trick of the light or a trick of the mind, the man was gone. 

Footsteps outside. Oh, God. If it were more costumed killers... 

But the faces that appeared in the doorway were three in number, and familiar. Alfred was the first to say something. "Good Lord," he exclaimed, looking at the body shoved beside the door. "Doctor, did you..." 

"No, no," said Dundee. "I didn't. Someone else did." 

"Like who?" asked the King of the Cats, nudging the body with his foot. 

"A man," said Dundee. "A man in black." 

"A man in black?" repeated Alfred, quizzically. 

"Yes. He left, just a few seconds ago. He said he was the Batman's friend." 

"I see," said Alfred, finally. "The Master can do with a few such friends, in this hour." 

Dundee spread his hands. "Alfred, what are we supposed to do? With Selina dying, and all these idiots trying to kill her, and us?" 

The butler let Batwoman into the room, ignoring her look of shock at the Cobraman's corpse. He took a blanket from a chair nearby and covered the remains. Then he said, "We stand by, Doctor Dundee. And we wait." 

So they did. 

-B- 

Jack Ryder had made his way up to the level below the penthouse and found Nightwing trying to get into a steel door. He wasn't having much luck. The acids and laser torch that the guy was using didn't even seem to reach the metal. 

The masked man looked at Ryder. "Who are you? Cop or Cobra?" 

For answer, Jack twisted the dial strapped to his forearm, and suddenly became yellow-skinned and green-haired. 

"That answer your question?" said the Creeper to the gaping Nightwing. 

A few minutes later, they were joined by three others: King Faraday, Talia, and Katana, who had found them both. Talia looked as though she was unhappy that had occurred. 

"Creep and Robin," said King. "I think there's a bunch of cops below us. Why can't you get through?" 

"For the same reasons the Outsiders can't, outside," said Robin, slapping a hand against the door...or, really, against the vibrating field of energy that guarded it. "There's a force-field around this floor. Above it, under it, on all sides. None of their powers have been able to get through." 

"But he let Bats through?" said Faraday. 

"Yeah," Robin confirmed, grimly. "He isn't anywhere around here, so he has to have gotten through." 

"The final battle," said Katana, fingering the hilt of her sword with one hand and holding Talia by the arm with the other. "Now, the Batman is alone with the enemy. Kobra would have orchestrated it this way." 

"I can't help him," said Robin, clenching a fist and looking at the floor. "The one guy who gave me everything I have, everything I am. The guy I swore I'd give everything back to, tonight. And I can't help him!" 

There was nothing anyone could say to that. 

So they, too, began to wait. 

-B- 

The Batman and Kobra had traded blows, kicks, knees, chops. They had attacked, they had defended, they had smashed blows against each other's guard and gotten under the guard to deliver hits that would have taken out most combatants in a national martial arts competition. Blood stained both their faces. Neither one could tell what hurts they bore internally. 

The pain was impossible to ignore, but they shunted as much aside of it as they could and kept fighting. 

This was not like their earlier encounters. In those, Kobra had faith enough in his strength and wit to put himself beyond the Batman's clutches. This time, he knew that, to be free of the Batman's vengeance, he would have to kill the Batman. Of course, there would be the damnable friends of the manhunter to deal with. But one dealt with such things on a case-by-case basis. 

But Batman was fighting for something more precious than his life. He fought for the thing which, whatever it was, wherever it was, would save the life of Selina Kyle Wayne. The woman who, he admitted at last, was the only one he could ever have accepted as an equal and a wife. 

He fought to save others from the murderous hand of Kobra, who would only reap more lives if he was not stopped in this instance. 

And, every time he caught a glimpse of Melissa MacNeil, he knew that he fought for something beyond that. Vengeance for Jason Burr, whom he had not been able to save. 

Vengeance for the brother of Kobra. 

The villain in orange was younger. He had trained his body to, as the cliche would have it, the peak of perfection. His moves could be more ruthless than the Batman's, for he did not have to worry about keeping his opponent alive that a secret might be forced from him. Plus, as he kept reminding himself, he was one of the few men on Earth who had beat the Batman in a toe-to-toe battle. 

And these memories seemed to serve him well, for a punch to the chest forced Batman to give way. Like lightning, Kobra followed up with a kick, an elbow smash, a knife-thrust of the hand. The man in grey, black, and yellow was backpedalling. It was hard to read him, but... 

Batman rallied, and aimed a kick of his own at Kobra. 

Before it connected, Kobra touched a button on his green belt, and suddenly was there no more. 

The boot of Batman continued on, unbalancing him. Behind his mask, Batman's eyes went wide in surprise. But only for an instant. 

A blow across the back of his neck sent him down. 

Pain flared across his consciousness like a bonfire. But he would...not...succumb... 

He managed to turn, and saw Kobra there, smiling. Standing. In a flash, he knew what had taken place. But he still had to fight. 

A karate blow, faster than even most senseis could dodge, was launched at Kobra. Once again, he vanished. 

This time, the blow came from Batman's side. It felt as though his ribs fractured under its impact. He hit the floor, grabbed his side, got to his knees. 

Kobra was still standing there and smirking. 

"My teleportation belt," he explained. "I can use it to hop very short distances. Of course, that's not fighting fair, but...well...I never fight fair." 

Another blow. Batman tried to block it, but it got under his guard. It connected with his face, and knocked him flat. 

The villain's prosthetic tongue licked out, grabbed him about the neck, pulled him upright. 

The next blow knocked the Batman across the room. 

-B- 

In the safety chamber within the Batcave, Julia Remarque Pennyworth and Daphne Pennyworth huddled in fear. The room was mostly soundproofed. But the sounds of gunfire and explosions were impossible to muffle entirely. 

"They're attacking the mansion," whispered Julia. "They're blowing it up." 

"Don't scream," Daphne whispered in return, holding her new friend tightly. "Whatever you do, don't scream. If we can hear noises in here...they might could hear us." 

"Over that?" 

"Don't take chances," hissed Daphne. 

After a few moments, Julia said, "I should have a gun. I fought in France, tried to bring my grandfather to justice because I thought he'd murdered our grandmother. I was wrong, but I know how to fight." 

Daphne said, "There's a lot of people who know how to fight up there. Doing a lot better job of it, I imagine. Do you know how to live? How to survive?" 

Julia nodded. "Of course." 

"Then that's what they'd want us to do, don't you think?" 

"What about them?" asked Julia. "How many of them can survive?" 

Daphne gave her an angry look. "You want to go out there and look?" 

"Not yet." 

"Then we'll wait. And pray." 

So they did. 

And all the while, they listened to the gunshots. 

-B- 

With a resounding kiaiii yell, Kobra aimed his booted foot at Batman's head, and connected. 

The hero slammed backwards, hitting the marble floor without defense, and lay still. 

Not even breathing. 

Kobra's own breaths were heavy. He dared not take chances with the man. Yet, his own body was weary, and hurting, and barely responding to his own orders. The punishment he had absorbed now began to take its toll, and he had to crouch and place his hands on his knees to keep himself standing. 

From his back he heard another sound. Melissa MacNeil, sobbing. 

By the cobra-god! The mesmerism he had placed her under via the Lazarus Pit was weakening, after all. Well, she could be dealt with. Eve would enjoy doing it. She'd always seen the girl as a rival, anyway, for all Melissa's zombie status. 

But for now, matters had to be concluded. The finishing blow must be struck. True, the kick to the head and the fall to the floor might have killed him. Or it might just have stopped his breathing for a time. Nonetheless, Kobra thought, as he forced himself across the three steps to the Batman, it had to be ended without doubt. 

He stood beside the Batman and raised his foot for the blow that would collapse the Batman's windpipe. 

And in the second that he took his eye off the Batman's right hand, it snaked out about his ankle and toppled him. 

Kobra cried out as he struck the floor. He tried to kick the Batman's hand away. It was a black-gloved vise on his ankle, squeezing it enough to fracture the femur, almost. He looked up at his foe's face. The Batman was sucking in great breaths of air, now, and grinning. A bloody, death's-head grin. 

The teleportation belt. Use it. It's gotten you out of more than one jam...saved you from Superman, from Aquaman, from this idiot in the mask... 

Except that the Batman's other hand had reached up, grasped the great belt about Kobra's waist, and given a powerful yank. Its sides parted and came away from his body. 

Batman threw the belt away and knelt before Kobra, dragging his foe up by his shirtfront. "Just wanted to make sure you didn't leave the party early," he rasped. 

Kobra tried to strike at Batman's eyes. 

He never got that far. 

The right hand of the Batman, no longer gripping Kobra's ankle, came up and filled his vision with a velocity that suggested it must be travelling very fast. Given that, Kobra wondered, terrifiedly, why time seemed to be slowed by a factor of ten. 

It couldn't be happening that way. It simply couldn't. 

Then the impact of what appeared to be a nuclear bomb on his face told him yes, definitely, it was a distinct probability. 

A great white light seemed to blot that out and he felt the bones of his nose giving way and a pain almost as sharp as anything he had ever felt before made itself known. 

This was not in the cards. The day had to be his. He had more death-plants to build, a world to conquer, heroes to destroy. He was the Deadliest Man Alive. 

And that was the last thought Kobra had before slipping into the darkness. 

Batman held his foe there, a fist buried in his shirt, for several long moments. His breath was ragged. His hurts were many. He was halfway certain some things were broken inside of him, and that Alfred would have a merry time with him on the medical table tonight. 

A voice. "Batman, look out!" 

He looked in its direction, cursed himself for inattentivity, and saw the beautiful half-naked form of Eve aiming a dart gun in his direction. 

He couldn't afford to use Kobra as a shield. The scum had to live. 

Even as the bikini-clad woman squeezed the trigger, the Batman's left hand went to his utility belt, grasped a batarang, flung it in the precise direction he intended. There was a cracking sound. The missle that emerged from the gun was shattered into several pieces. The batarang fell, still intact. 

Eve tried to shoot a second time. But a purple-dressed form slammed into her from the side, and the second dart went far off the mark, glancing off a wall, ricocheting, and coming to rest in a chair. The woman, snarling like a panther, trained in martial arts, was far more than a match for Melissa MacNeil. She prepared to strike a deadly blow to the other girl's neck. 

But her gun hand was grasped by a powerful hand from behind and another pressed a certain spot on her neck that brought her oblivion. Eve, despite her rage, sagged like a corpse to the floor. 

Batman, standing, looked at the kneeling Melissa. Her eyes were clear, though still filled with tears. 

But he noted she was smiling. 

"Do you," he said. "Do you know where. The force-field controls are?" 

She nodded. 

-B- 

Outside, on the roof of the Chambers Building, blocked from even touching the stone substance of it by the thin emanations of the force-screen, the Outsiders conferred. 

"I say we do it," said Geo-Force. 

"Geo, there are people still in the building," said Black Lightning. "Innocents." 

"Not to mention Katana, and Creep, and Faraday," put in Halo. "Even Talia, for Pete's sake." 

"The Batman is also inside," snapped the Markovian. "If I tear this building loose from its moorings, we may endanger others, true, but we will sever its power supply. The force-field will probably be negated." 

"Geo, Brian, don't," said Looker. "The others are right. No matter what, we don't endanger innocent people. Nightwing's inside, too. And Kobra probably has a private generator powering this thing. It might be for nothing." 

"Then what do we do," said Plastic Man, "that's for something?" 

Metamorpho and Element Girl moved towards Geo-Force from the back, wondering if even they could take him. The force-field wouldn't even admit their gaseous forms. 

Windfall stepped up to Geo-Force. "Brion, please don't do this. The Batman won't be prepared for the building being shaken up. You might make him lose the battle." 

"He may already have lost it," said Geo, grimly. He opened his mouth again, but before he could push sound through it, something else occurred. 

All of them fell several inches to the roof of the building. 

Plastic Man bounced up, in the form of a spring. He was the first to speak. "The field is down," he cried. "It's down!" 

Black Lightning's hands were pointed at the roof before he could even finish saying, "Outsiders, at 'em!" His blast of lightning was joined by Geo-Force's super-powerful blow, by twin strikes of mighty cobalt hammers formed from the hands and arms of Metamorpho and Element Girl, by psionic blasts from Looker, and by a force-aura smash from Halo. 

Under that, it wasn't surprising the roof gave in. 

Luckily, they all managed to avoid coming in on the Batman's head. Looker tried to levitate them up before they hit the floor, but couldn't grab them all. Plastic Man just bounced, caroming off the walls. Jeff Pierce landed straight on the seat of his pants. "Ouch!" he yelled. 

They saw the Batman, a girl in a purple dress, another female in a bikini, and Kobra. The latter two were down. 

Batman looked as though his body wanted him to be. But it had learned a long time ago to get out of the way of his mind. 

"Looker," said the battered hero, still holding Kobra in one hand. "Can you probe an unconscious mind?" 

"You bet," said the beauty with the blue-glowing eyes, flying forward. 

"I want you to," said Batman, and swallowed. "To find the place where he has the antidote. Now." 

Looker placed her hands on Kobra's head, shivering a bit at the touch, and began her work. 

A slicing noise. A door slammed open. 

A squad of people boiled through. Harvey Bullock and a group of bluecoats bringing up the rear. In front, Nightwing, Creeper, King Faraday, a grim Katana, and Talia, whose arm was firmly held by the Japanese woman. 

Seeing her lord, Katana grimly smiled. 

Nightwing looked at his old mentor, drew in a breath, and said, "Sorry I couldn't make the party after all, Batman." 

"That's all right," said the Batman. "We. Started without you." 

-B- 

The invaders were inside the house. 

The defenders could tell it from the noise of gunfire, the smell of cordite. There was no telling how much damage they were doing to the precious place, to the memories and objets d'art stored within. The Cobramen had breached the defenses, and all Alfred, Flamebird, Robin, the Cat King, and Batwoman could do was pull back closer to Selina Kyle's room. 

How soon would bullets be coming through the reinforced walls? The bastards seemed to know the layout of the place. There seemed to be nothing beyond Kobra's intelligence, beyond his slimy reach. 

Now Alfred and his crew were clustered about Selina's room, just outside it, and no one was making comment about the guns. All knew that they would sell their lives dearly. The first Cobraman to reach Selina Wayne's bed would have to step over a mound of his brothers' corpses. 

At least, thought Alfred, Julia and Daphne are safe. Perhaps. If that damnable Kobra hasn't somehow learned of the secret room. 

"Alfred," said Robin. 

He didn't look at him. "Yes, master Jason?" 

"I remember you quoting Shakespeare at me when Bruce and I went off to battle," said Jason. 

"Be quiet, kid," hissed the Cat King. 

"It doesn't matter by now, Karl," said Batwoman. 

"Yes, master Jason," said Alfred. 

"Well, d'ya think you have a great quote for us right now?" said Robin. "Something like 'Into the breach'? What comes up?" 

"Oh, Jason, leave him alone," said Flamebird, holding a .357 Magnum she had taken from the Batcave's trophy room, armed from a cache of Alfred's, and wondering if she would have the guts to fire it. The terrifying thing about it was, she thought she probably would. 

Alfred heard footsteps, in the distance. Several pairs. 

Only one quote ran through his mind at the time, and it was not from Shakespeare. 

"Hail, Caesar," said Alfred, softly, levelling his Uzi. "We who are about to die, salute you." 

The Cobra troops were getting closer, appallingly fast. They were around a bend of the hall, and their foremost would perish. But none of them had much illusion that they could stand off all the invaders. 

Alfred allowed himself a tight smile, despite it all, and awaited the first man he would have had to kill since World War II. 

Then there came a great noise like unto an explosion, not far down the hall, at approximately the same site as the Cobramen were, by the sound of it. It sounded like the roof. Alfred wondered, wildly, why the idiots were coming from that direction. Couldn't be much surprise to it, at this point. 

Two Cobras skidded against the side wall at the end of the hall, their weapons twisted around their necks. They were on the far side of consciousness. 

The sounds that came to the defenders now were different. Men yelling incoherently, but having their voices stopped after sharp cries of pain. There was some gunfire, but it didn't seem to matter. And more Cobramen came flying, piling up against the side wall like so much thrown garbage. 

Alfred blinked, and imagined the others were reacting similarly. 

"Man," said Karl Kyle, in awe. "Just what kinda cavalry is this, anyway?" 

Finally, the tenth or so Cobra Cultist joined his brothers on the heap. Alfred knew who the man was who had put them there, and drew a great, sighing breath as his shoulders sagged. 

The man stepped into sight, his hands on his hips, and grinned. 

"I thought you might need me here," said Superman. "Diana's on her way. She's got the Purple Ray with her." 

The Cat King and Batwoman were most awed of all of them. Alfred knew the reason: in this Earth's Superman, they had seen another ghost. 

"I think...I think Selina," said Flamebird. 

"She's still alive," said Superman, soberly. "I was listening." 

"Are the others all right?" said Batwoman, finally. "Batgirl, and..." 

"I left them outside," said the Kryptonian. "Think you can handle things here while I get them, Alfred?" 

The butler straightened his posture once again. 

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Master Superman," he said, proudly. 

-S- 

Paul Shrevnitz was always surprised by his boss. Always. No matter how many times he tried to pick out the place where the guy would melt out of the darkness, he always showed up somewhere else. 

The boss, his fire-red Girasol glowing faintly in the moonlight, gave Paul an appraising look. "Trouble, Paul?" 

"Nah, boss," grinned the burly chauffeur, hefting his tire iron. He pointed with it casually to the two Cobramen on the grass nearby, out like lights and tied with their own belts. "These two jamokes just learned never ta pick on a New York cabby, that's all. Even if he is in Gotham." 

"Indeed." The boss looked towards the sky, searching for something. 

"You think we ought to hang around and lend a hand?" asked Paul. 

The other was silent until he found what he was searching for. 

A number of silhouettes, some of which he recognized, moving at considerable speed between the Earth and Moon. Probably less than a hundred feet over the ground. 

"No, Paul," the boss said. "Our work here is done." He opened the back door of the limo and got in. "Home," he said, just before he closed it. 

Paul grinned. "You got it, Mr. Cranston." He opened the front door, got in, slammed it, and started the engine. The big car pulled away. 

The boss didn't get out as often as he did in Grandpa Moe's day. But if it had been like this when he did, back then, Paul Shrevnitz was glad to carry on the family tradition. 

He headed the car towards New York. 

-B- 

The house looked like hell, but nobody cared that much about it at the moment. All the Batman's crew cared about were two things: making sure everybody was safe, and trying to save Selina Wayne's life. Jim Gordon had already had a grateful reunion with Batgirl, thanks to Superman. Now both branches of the Bat-Squad embraced each other, glad that none of them had been killed or injured, and doubly glad, though none spoke of it, that none of them had to kill. 

The Outsiders were greeted just as warmly, and Batman, seeing Superman in the hall, managed a grin, through bloody teeth. "Somehow I knew you'd make it," he said. "Old friend." 

Superman was at Batman's side. He tried to take Kobra from his hands, but Batman wouldn't let him. "You're hurt, Batman. Great Rao, let me help you." 

"I'm better off," said Batman, "than Selina. Help me." 

"You got him," said Superman, finally taking the unconscious Kobra with one arm. "I owed him, too, but I thought that you'd be the one to do it." 

"Kal," said Batman. "My wife." 

They staggered within the room. Dr. Dundee looked up at all of them in shock. Then, after a moment, he recovered. "She's almost--" 

"Don't say it, Doctor," Batman said. He held out a metal capsule case with a chain on it. The chain was broken where he had torn it from Kobra's neck. "Use this." 

Dundee took it from Batman's hand, and noted the trembling of the great man's fingers. He popped open the capsule case. A small capped vial of fluid lay within. Dundee looked at Selina Kyle's face again. She was almost blue. 

The doctor took the vial of serum, fumbled in his bag for a hypodermic, and refused to give credence to stress and sleeplessness. He unplugged the back of the hypo, poured in the serum, replaced the plunger, pushed the air out of the needle, and injected the serum into her body, at an area which would send it directly into her heart. 

Then he settled back, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes for a second, to wait. 

Batman went to his knees, unexpectedly. Superman held his friend's shoulder. "Bruce, let me tend to you," he said. 

"Not NOW!" Batman gasped. "Selina." 

A bit of sound only super-hearing could perceive altered Superman to the presence of a warp in the room. He swiveled his head to face its direction, even as his ears told him of another one. 

Through the first, Raven, that warp's creator, admitted herself, Wonder Girl, and Wonder Woman, within a bird-silhouette of blackness. Through the second came two Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart. 

"Are we in time?" said Wonder Woman, tersely. 

"You'd better be," said Dundee, his hand on Selina's wrist. "This stuff isn't kicking in quickly enough." 

"Let's do it, John," said Hal. The two Lanterns pointed their rings at Selina Kyle Wayne and sent two lines of green power stabbing at her. Within a second, it was joined by a purple beam from the device Wonder Woman held in her hands, the portable version of the Amazons' Purple Ray, which had brought Changeling back once from the other side of death. 

The triad of beams suffused Selina's body with energy. It would seem enough power to animate a score of Lazaruses from their graves. But Superman's hearing told the tale. 

"It's...not enough," he said. "Almost, but...not enough." 

Batman's hands reached out for Kobra, who was, incredibly enough, stirring on the floor. 

The door banged open and Halo burst in. 

"Halo, what--" started Wonder Girl. 

"I've got to try it!" said the blonde Outsider, shoving even Superman aside in desperation. "I've never tried this power before, but by golly, I've got to try it now!" 

And with that, Halo stretched forth her arms, and a violet aura surrounded her body. From her hands, a great beam of that power went forth to join the others already trained on Selina. And, within a moment, it surrounded, combined, supplanted, and boosted them all, adding her own unique energies to the mix. 

The violet aura, thought Batman. She's never used it before...never dared... 

None of them, including Halo, had ever had an idea of what her violet power could do. She had a phobia against it, because of her former name, Violet Harper. But now, Halo was draining every erg of her energy to give that power to Selina Wayne. The sweat began beading on her forehead, and Batman could tell the effort she was putting into it. 

"Halo," he said. 

"Shut up, Bruce," snapped Halo, without even thinking of it. 

"Keep pouring it, John," said Hal, willing his every iota of power behind his own ring beam. 

"I'm working, I'm working, Hal," snapped his fellow Corpsman. 

Batman stumbled to one foot and a knee, nearing Selina. Wonder Girl drew him back, gently. Raven rushed forward, glowed blackly, and exerted her own power, drawing what foulness and poisoning and weakness she could from the ravaged woman's body. 

And, she noted with a start, this time...it seemed to be... 

...working. 

Except that there wasn't very much to draw away, and even--yes, she had to admit it--less as the seconds ticked by. 

Halo was on her knees as well. But she was still soldiering on, and one wondered whether or not her life would be given in exchange for her friend's. Superman, intent on trying last-minute resuscitation with his great powers if all else failed, listened intently to her pulse and heartbeat and breathing. 

And the breathing was becoming stronger. 

Selina's color improved, from bluish to paleness to ruddiness. Her pulse quickened. Her organs no longer labored under the great strain they had been suffering. 

No one dared say what was occurring. 

And no one but Selina knew what was taking place in her mind. 

-B- 

Selina looked at the girl in black and the grin told her that Little Miss Gothette had a killer card to lay down. 

"Go ahead and play it," said Selina. "We can start another hand." 

"Don't think so," said the other. She began to turn the card over, then hesitated. "Hold on." 

"Hold on for what?" Selina was perplexed. "I'll deal, just go ahead and crush me." 

The pale girl paused, then finally took her card back and set it in her hand. "Nope, not today," she said. She took the cards. "You got lucky." 

Selina Wayne blinked. "You mean you're not even going to finish the hand?" 

"Not till you finish yours," said the woman, leaning casually back against the head of an ocelot. "And that may not be for a long time yet. Bye." 

Selina was about to take the deck that lie between them when she noticed the cards she held falling through her hand. Even for a dream, this was strange. 

The woman was smiling at her, but she and the roomful of cats seemed to be becoming indistinct. Was she waking up? 

Somehow, she knew what was on the face of the card that the woman had been about to play. She was just as glad she hadn't seen it. It was bound to be an ace, and she knew what suit. 

Then the whole thing faded out and she forgot the cats, the girl, and the cards altogether. 

It seemed as though she was coming up through a tunnel of sleep membranes, clawing her way up with her long fingernails that she'd used on Batman's face more than once in the old days. This time, they served her well. 

And then there was somebody, well, a whole lot of somebodies, bending over her and looking goggle-eyed. 

All except for Bruce, who still had that darn silly Batman mask on, the one where you couldn't see his eyes through the lenses. He looked like somebody'd thrown napalm on his face and tried to beat it out with a barge pole. 

"Bruce," she said, not thinking just then if somebody in the group might not be in the know. "Am I back?" 

He embraced her, getting his blood on her cheek, smelling as sweaty as high heaven, but she didn't mind it a bit. She held him in her own arms, and was very surprised, for she was as strong as she had been in the minute just before she'd gotten hit by a poisoned dart. 

"You're back," he whispered. 

-B- 

Shortly thereafter, the Outsiders held Batman down against his will while Wonder Woman administered a light dose of purple radiation, which healed his wounds but not his fatigue. Alfred looked on and said, "My word." 

Batwoman smiled at him. "This time, Alfred, you don't get to do the honors." 

The Creeper jumped for joy, banging his head against the ceiling and coming down on a collapsible Plastic Man. "We dunnit, Plas! We saved Bats's gal, bagged us a Kobra, and didn't even pick up a scratch! Wahooo!" 

Plas elongated two fingers, held the Creeper off the floor by the nape of his sheepskin, and displayed his bandaged hand with a wry smile. "Not a scratch, huh? Whattya call this?" 

"Sorry," said the Creeper. 

"S'okay," said Plas, and let him down. "By the way--" He nudged his friend in the ribs with a foot-long thumb, and pointed towards the back of the crowd. Commissioner James Gordon was there. 

He was coming their way. 

"Uh-oh," said the yellow-hued mountebank. He turned his back towards the old cop. "You think you could turn yourself into a giant closet and hang me inside?" 

"I've been there, Creep," said Plas. "On the wrong side of the law, that is. I'll put in a good word for you." 

Gordon, who was leading Batgirl along by the hand--and she didn't look like she relished what was to come, either--stopped before the Creeper and Plastic Man. "Young man, you know I could have you arrested on very serious charges," he said. 

The Creeper, over 200 pounds of bone, muscle, and athletic ability, felt like a schoolboy called on the carpet by a librarian. "Yes, sir," he said. 

Gordon paused, then said, "If I see you impersonating a wanted criminal again, I'll have you thrown in the tank for it. You understand?" 

A smile suddenly replaced itself on the Creeper's face, and he snapped to and saluted. "Yes, SIR!" 

"If you associate yourself with the Batman and his group, you don't want to disguise yourself as the Creeper," Gordon said, slightly smiling. "He's wanted. And he'll stay wanted until he clears himself of charges. So until then, watch yourself. In the near future, if you keep dressing that way, I shall have to officially ignore you." 

"Oh, would you, sir?" said the Creeper, still saluting. "I'd really, really appreciate that, like." 

"Keep a low profile till then," Gordon continued. "And, son? Nice job. At ease." 

The green-haired hero lowered his arm with a snap, and Plas couldn't keep from cracking up. 

Batgirl led Gordon away. In a low voice, she said, "Did you really have to string him along that way, Dad?" 

"Tush, dear. A policeman's got to have some fun, after all." 

The Green Lantern duo were outside, administering brainwashing treatments to the Cobramen that removed any knowledge of Batman's double identity from their brains. Only a few had been confided in, but Hal and John blocked them all. Harvey Bullock was loading them up after that, one by one, into a brace of paddy wagons. "You sure this ain't outlawed by the constitution?" he asked the Lanterns. 

"U.S. Statue Law number Whatever and One says that superheroes recognized by the United States government and its allies are allowed to remove knowledge of secret identities from criminals, no-goods, and general creepos who learn them," said Hal, not pausing from ring-treating a Cultist. "That's all we're doing, Lieutenant." 

"That, and giving 'em a phobia about using the color yellow," said John. "Just kidding." 

Bullock grumped, shifted his stogie in his mouth, and took another one of the Cobramen by the collar. He liked the days when there was only one Green Lantern, but what the hell. Everyplace had Affirmative Action nowadays. 

After Raven healed Starfire's wounds, she and Wonder Girl were there to see her and Nightwing fall into each other's arms again. "Kory," he said. "I'm sorry. You were hurt. You should have been with us." 

"No, Dick," she said. "I was where I was supposed to be. So were you. But now, I think we're supposed to be together. Is that not so?" 

"I'd say so," said Nightwing, nuzzling her neck. "Forevermore. Plus one week." 

Raven and Donna smiled. "That's two Supergirls and one Catwoman you've helped save lately," said Wonder Girl. "Not a bad total, really." 

"Except for the other Superman, I might agree with you," said Raven, not smiling anymore. 

Donna sighed. "Well. When do you want to bring the other Titans in?" 

"In awhile," said Raven. "In awhile." 

Black Lightning, Geo-Force, Looker, Metamorpho, and Element Girl were clustered about Halo in congratulation. "I can't believe it, Gabby," said Looker. "You've never dared used your violet power before. How did you know it was a healing aura?" 

"Well, I like, kinda didn't," said Looker, who was lying on a couch in the library where they were gathered. "But all that talk about Wonder Woman using her Purple Ray made me kinda wonder: what if my purple ray was kind of on the same wavelength? I guessed it was worth a try, and that it couldn't hurt Selina any worse than she already was. So I, like, you know, took the chance. And it worked." 

"It did in spades," said Rainie, stretching out coppery arms to hug Halo. "And we're all very proud of you, honey." 

"She's not the only one," said a familiar voice behind them. 

They turned. The Batman stood behind them, his arm about the trim waist of Selina Wayne. And for the first time in a long time, she was looking better than he did. 

"You've all given your utmost in this duty," said Bruce, struggling to stay awake. "My wife is alive because of you. She stands here beside me, where she belongs, drawing breath because of you. And." 

Selina squeezed him about the waist with her arm. "What Bruce is trying to say is what I want to say. Thank you. Thank you all for saving my life. I'll never, never be able to repay you for it. But...thank you all. Once again." 

Geo-Force put his hands on his hips, and Looker put her arm about his shoulder as he spoke. "Indeed, Mrs. Wayne--Selina--you have already repaid us. Our labors in this matter were for two objectives: to save my land of Markovia, and to save your life. Both are now accomplished. Now I am sure you wish to be with your husband. The blessings of the royal house of Markovia on your union." 

Selina walked up on bare feet and bussed him on the cheek. Brion turned red, and most of the crew laughed. 

"I have a feeling we'll be going to another wedding before long," she said to Looker. 

"You never know," Looker replied. 

King Faraday walked up with another arrival on his arm. It was Melissa MacNeil. He was still in his trenchcoat and fedora, still smoking a cigarette, and still getting ashes on the carpet. But he, too, was smiling. 

"I found the little lady and brought her in," said King. "Seems the two of us found we had a few things in common. Getting kidnapped by Kobra and run through the Lazarus Pit. Maybe we can build from there." 

"Wooo," said Black Lightning, appreciatively. "Fast work." Then, more seriously, he extended a hand of friendship to Melissa. "Ma'am, I understand your life's been like unto a train wreck for the last few years. I hope the bad times are over. Sincerely." 

She shook his hand, a bit shyly. "A nightmare. But even his control weakens, over the years. And seeing Batman fighting him--it broke the last barrier. But I...I remember..." She choked back a sob, and hid her face in her free hand. 

Faraday held her tightly. "Easy, Mel. It wasn't you that did that to Jason Burr. It was Kobra's hand on yours. I want you to understand that. Do you understand that, Melissa?" 

"Yes," she cried. "But..." 

Batman spoke. "I saw you during that act, Melissa. You were no more in control of yourself at the time than a car is in control of its driver. It was a nightmare. But now, by the grace of God, that nightmare is over. Now you can start a new life. And you have to." 

Melissa looked up at him. Her eyes were still full of tears, but they held a new element, now: one of hope. Selina didn't think she could be prouder of Bruce than she had been a few minutes ago, but now she knew that wasn't true. To Melissa, she said, "He's right, honey. Pick up all the pieces and fit them back in the tray. You can do it. I'm doing it myself." 

King cleared his throat. "Before I go, Bats, I've got to say thanks myself. I don't know what I would've done, if I'd been in your boots when we were both in the plane. I'm just glad you did what you did, you and Miss Looker there." 

"Pleasure was all mine," said the redhead with a wink. 

"Well, I didn't fancy bein' a slave of Kobra for the rest o' my life, either, so I still wanna thank you both," said Faraday. "Now I've gotta tell you something else: I'm taking charge of Snakeface. Eve, too. The World Court wants to try this guy for about a zillion offenses. Including the murder of Jason Burr." 

Batman saw Melissa's breathing come faster, for a moment. He didn't blame her. But she was trying to keep herself under control. For that, he counted her a hero. 

"Where is he?", asked Batman. "And Talia?" 

"Kobra's in some restraints Alfred lent us from the Batcave," said King. "Talia's with Katana. You want to see them?" 

"Get Talia away from Katana," ordered Batman, forcing himself to stay awake. "Have some of the Outsiders keep her under guard, but frisk her first. I'll see her after I get some sleep. As for Kobra...bring him here." 

After a moment in which no sound was heard except breathing and shuffling feet, King said, "Okay." He walked through the press of heroes, down the hallway. 

Selina held Batman's hand tightly. "Think you're still up to this, darling?" 

"I have to be," mumbled the masked man. 

Two others pushed forward through the assemblage to stand before them. Looking as though they'd been through the trenches, the Huntress and young Robin waited before Batman and Selina for a long moment. 

"Aunt Selina," said the Huntress, her eyes wet. 

"Mom," said Robin. 

Selina couldn't return the greetings before both buried themselves in a hug on her body. Batman had to let her go so that she could encircle both of them in her arms. 

Old Robin and Nightwing, side by side, stepped up to Batman and grinned. "Too bad you get sloppy seconds today," remarked Nightwing. 

Batman smiled. "I'm not the star of this show right now." 

Within a few minutes, King Faraday returned, abetted by Black Lightning and Superman. Kobra was with them, in irons. His mask was pulled back, and every weapon he had was located by the Man of Steel and forcibly removed from his body. Even the phony tongue had been severed by heat-vision. 

He still looked defiant. 

"This could have been the end, Batman," said Kobra. "But it is not." 

"Like hell," said the Batman. "The game is over. Finished, Kobra. You've failed. Even with all the advantages on your side, you lost. Anything else you do, from here on...it'll be anticlimactic." 

"Do not count so heavily on that," hissed Kobra. "I still have my brain. Unless, of course, you have the Green Lumpkins lobotomize me." 

"Remove the knowledge of our double identities from your mind, yes," said Batman. "Lobotomy, no. They don't do that. But I will have them erase the knowledge of how that black hole machine of yours is built from your brain. Just a little too dangerous for you to be carrying around." 

"Fah!" Kobra spat. 

"Watch your mouth, snake-eyes," warned Black Lightning. "Less'n you want to walk around for the next week with electrical burns." 

"Provided I let you walk at all," chimed in Geo-Force. "I owe you for Markovia." 

Kobra ignored them both. "What I once discovered, I can discover again. Or I can formulate something entirely different. As a genius, I stand with Luthor. You know that." 

"Oh, yes," said Batman, idly. He noted Selina had grown as icy as a glacier, looking at their foe. 

"I still have portions of my army that you have not located," said Kobra. "I still have resources untouched. Unless you execute me before I can be tried, I will escape." 

"To what point?" said Batman. "To fail again, as you always have? To fight one last battle? It always ends the same way, Kobra. Until the day when someone finally kills you." 

"Would you?" Kobra let the question hang in the air between them. 

Batman did not answer. 

Selina Wayne spoke up, in a controlled voice. "Why did you try to kill me?" 

Kobra looked at her and smiled. "Because it fit with my plans. But for a few minor adjustments, I would have killed you all. Still," he sighed, theatrically, "there is still tomorrow." 

Selina lunged from Batman's side and, before anyone could stop her, raked her fingernails across Kobra's face and drew blood. He looked at her, in surprise. 

Superman grabbed Selina's hand, stared at her fingers and nails for a moment, turning them over. "You were lucky," he said. "His skin might have borne poison. I've used micro-vision. You're clean." 

Batman was by her side, holding her arms. Kobra, his face stinging, looked quizzically at her. "Why did you do that?" 

She stood only inches from him. "Let's just say I'm not nearly as nice as the Batman." 

"Neither am I," said Jason Todd, and swung a roundhouse right for Kobra's gut. His arm was grasped by the Batman, and held. 

"Easy, youngster," said Batman. "Take him to the Lanterns. Then, take him away." 

Faraday smiled. "Bats. It's been real. Hope we haven't seen the last of each other." 

"Me either, Faraday. Take care." 

"Come on, tongueboy," said Jeff Pierce, roughly pulling Kobra away. Geo-Force and Superman helped hustle him away. 

Selina looked at her man. Batman's eyes gave her an unmistakable message. She kissed him, before all the crowd, and a few hammy "Wooo!"s went up. Before the kiss was broken, he sagged in her arms. Jason, old Robin, and Nightwing helped hold him up. 

"He's asleep," murmured Selina. "Come on, boys, help me get him to bed." 

-B- 

While Batman slept, Kobra was transferred to an armored car filled with four guards and a driver. His mouth was muzzled and a straitjacket was added to his other restraints. The car started off for Gotham Airport, under what was thought to be heavy guard. Including one who was unknown even to the official guards. 

Somewhere along the way, at a point where the guard was least heavy, the police along the way and the ones within the armored car fell prey to another sleep gas attack. Kobra was spared unconsciousness, since he still wore nose filters; Superman had not seen fit to remove them. The car careened to the side of the road and went sideways into a ditch. 

Several uniformed men appeared from concealment, used a laser torch to cut the back doors open, threw a key inside the back, and quickly left. 

Kobra measured his chances. The rescuers did not appear to be his men. Still, this was a chance. And if there was a double-cross planned, he had the intelligence, guile, and strength to turn the trap upon its trappers. Within a few seconds, he had unlocked his bonds and removed the strait-jacket and gag. 

He emerged from the van and stood in the road, gasping in breath, for a moment. A free man. 

He pulled up his mask, and once again was Kobra. 

As Kobra, he barely had time to lower his hands from his mask before catching sight of a brightly colored figure rushing from a treetop. How one so gaudily dressed could seem like a ninja, he had no way of knowing. But his reflexes were still good. He went to a defensive pose. 

There was a flash of sun off metal. 

A strange sensation of solid and wetness. 

Kobra's vision sent doubting images to his brain. For one thing, he was seeing his body from an angle at which he had never seen it before. He landed on the top of his head, with a dull impact in the dust. 

The problem was, he could see his body, still standing. Blood appeared to be geysering from the neck. 

And if his body was over there... 

He saw it crumple to the ground as his vision began fading. Blackness began encroaching upon him as if his eyes had been turned off like a television set. 

But he did see one final image. 

That of the Japanese woman, the Outsider, holding her crimsoned sword. 

She appeared to be smiling. 

Then blackness. And one thing more. 

There appeared to be someone else beside him. He perceived a presence, but could not see the person. 

He spoke a mundane phrase, so simplistic he wished he hadn't said it. "Where am I?" 

A voice spoke. A female voice. 

"That's not as important as where you're going," it said. 

There was a flutter of wings. 

And then terror. 

-B- 

Alfred brought Julia and Daphne out of the Batcave chamber and into the mansion again, all with the lights off. When he turned on the lights again, the grandfather clock door was closed, and both of them saw Selina Wayne sitting in a stuffed chair against the library wall. 

"Selina," said Julia, in astonishment and delight. "You're alive!" 

"I--well, I mean--are all of us alive?" asked Daphne. "Did we all make it?" 

"All but a few Cobras," said Selina, smiling. "Thanks for your help." 

The two Pennyworth women went from their proud relative to embrace Mrs. Wayne. After enough explanation had been made, Julia made an observation. Looking at the war-damaged walls, she said, "This place looks like hell." 

"Indeed," acknowledged Alfred. "But I daresay we'll have it put to rights within a few weeks. The Master has resources. And he has me, of course." 

"Um, Uncle Alfred," said Daphne. "I kind of hate to bring it up, but...well, neither of us has eaten in a bit. Should we see if there's anyplace within driving distance? That is, if we still have a car? I'll treat us." 

"Certainly not," said Alfred, stepping forward. "The kitchen remains relatively untouched. We shall dine here." 

Julia stood. "Not without our guest of honor, Mrs. Wayne. I'll help you, grandfather." 

"You most certainly shall not," Alfred proclaimed. "On the day when Alfred Pennyworth cannot prepare a suitable repast for royalty, even under battle conditions, that day he will retire. Come with me, ladies, to the dining room, and continue your conversation while I busy myself. This way." 

-B- 

Nightwing and Starfire said their goodbyes to Raven, Wonder Girl, and Wonder Woman. "Are you not returning with us to Titans Tower?" asked Raven. 

"Nope," smiled Nightwing. "We'll catch up. Give our best to Roy, Garth, and the gang. See you tomorrow." 

"Maybe not," said Wonder Girl with a grin. "I've got some down time to spend with Terry." She turned to Diana. "It's great seeing you again, Big Sis." 

"You as well, Donna," said the Amazon princess, hugging her lightly. "Come visit Steve and I the next chance you get. And don't stay away too long from Paradise Island, either." 

"You know it," said the younger Amazon. Then Raven phased the three of them away. 

Nightwing and Starfire looked at each other and embraced. "Where will we be tonight?" she asked. 

"Oh, I think I know where we won't be disturbed," he said. He led her to the library, opened the grandfather clock door, and then picked her up. "To the Batcave, Starfire." 

Then he carried her below, to the room Julia and Daphne had vacated. Nobody spoke any passwords to them that night. They wouldn't have heeded them, anyway. 

-B- 

In the morning, Bruce Wayne opened his eyes. Selina was in a robe, seated before him. He was in his bedroom. He looked about. Except for a few bullet holes, it was more or less as he had left it. 

"Is this a dream?" he asked. 

"Not now, it isn't," she said, and sat on the bed beside him. Her hand covered his. "I want to thank you for what you did, Bruce. I was mad at you before for leaving me. But I guess it was what you had to do." 

"It was," he admitted. "And it was worth it." 

"But I hope you won't be leaving me again." 

"Never," he said, squeezing her fingers, and praying that was a promise he never had to break. 

She gently disengaged his hand, and put both of hers to the top of her robe. "Are you feeling better now that you've gotten some sleep?" 

"Definitely." He paused. "There are still some things we have to do." 

Selina's hands parted her robe. Then she threw it away entirely, and stood naked before him. He devoured her with his eyes. 

"I'll say there are," she said, and lifted the covers. 

-B- 

It was well past noon when Bruce Wayne finally got around to addressing the troops. Julia and Daphne were out with Alfred, by his order. By Julia's choice, they went to Picture News, where she began filing a first-hand report of her experiences at the Battle of Wayne Manor. Daphne and Alfred left to do the town for the afternoon. 

Katana had been absent for some time, and was still absent. 

"This week will never be forgotten," he said. "Not by myself, not by any one of you. For all of you who put yourselves on the line to save my wife, Markovia, and possibly the world...many thanks. I've done many things by myself. But this time, I don't think I could have done it without help." 

"Aww, shucks, Bats," grinned the Creeper. 

Metamorpho clamped a big hand over the Creeper's mouth. "Button it, brother." 

"It's all right, Rex," said Bruce, and the Element Man removed his hand. He continued: "In a way, I'm glad it turned out as it did. An Outsider, a Titan, two Justice League members and two Green Lantern Corpsmen were there to save my wife." 

"Not to mention one pretty battered, beaten-up, but still lovable old Batman," interjected Selina, sitting beside him in a green dress. "And I'm grateful to every one of you, believe me. I...well, I really didn't know how many friends I had among you all. Even if you were just here because of Bruce--" 

There was a chorus of "No"'s to that, but she overrode them. "--or if it was because of me, personally, I owe you all my life. If I can help you, from here on, just say the word...and I'll try to be there." 

"I'll try to be, as well," admitted Bruce. "But I have an announcement to make. As of tonight, the Batman is going into semi-retirement." 

A chorus of surprised noises, gasps, and protests, none greater than Jason Todd's. "But, Bruce," he said. "You and me, we've just started!" 

"And we haven't finished yet, Jason," said Bruce. "But let's face facts. I'm 40 years old. Moving past my prime. I have a wife, now, as well as an adopted son. And there are duties as a husband and father, both to you and to whoever we have later, provided we do, that might conflict with the Batman's duties." He looked up at them, especially at the two Dick Graysons, Helena, Flamebird, Batwoman, Karl, and Batgirl. "I'll be there to help when things get especially tight. But now, if the Bat-Squad is up to it...I'd like to turn over some of the responsibility to them." 

"Count on it, Bruce," said Nightwing, quietly. "Even if I have to leave the Titans." 

Starfire looked at him in shock. 

"No, Dick," said Batman. "You remain with the Titans. They're your group, and they need you. And you've got a new wife, too. Take pleasure with her...and duty with your fellows." 

Black Lightning cleared his throat and spoke. "So...what about the Outsiders?" 

Bruce looked at his many-costumed group of allies. "I'll be there for you, in a pinch. But you'll need a regular leader, now. I reccommend Geo take over, as he did before." 

Geo-Force said, "I will do my best, friend Batman. And between us, the breach is now healed." He gave his hand to Bruce, and the millionaire shook it. 

Turning to Halo, Bruce said, "I wanted to especially thank you, Halo. Your violet power turned the tide for Selina. Can you still use it?" 

Gabby shook her head, slightly. "Don't seem to be able to, Bruce. I'm sorry. Whether I used it all up, or if it just takes some time to build back up, I don't know yet. But I'm glad I could use it on Selina." 

Selina got up and hugged the blonde girl in the black jumpsuit. "So am I, honey. Believe it, in spades. Just not in aces." 

Superman said, "I regret being stupid enough not to take Kobra to the World Court myself. I had to get back to the Planet, anyway. Now, no trial...just a body." 

"I can't exactly bring myself to mourn for him, Kal," said Bruce. "As for the murder...let's drop the subject for now. You're all invited to stay tonight as guests. But Selina and I..." He smiled again. "We've got matters to catch up on." 

"It'd be nice, Bruce," said Black Lightning. "But my week of leave time is just about over. I'm gonna say sayonara, and hope to see you again soon. Maybe at the next meeting?" 

"Maybe so," said Bruce Wayne. 

Old Robin stepped forward. "Helena and the rest of us Earth-Twoers will have to go, too. But if you guys really need a hand, let us know. Maybe the Bat-Squad of Two Earths will ride again, sometime." 

"Count on it, Dick," said Batgirl. "You're always welcome." 

"Hmph," said Jason. "That leaves me, Barbara, Betty, and nobody else. Some Bat-Squad." 

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" said Flamebird. "Somebody with a big wingspan?" 

"Oh, Man-Bat!" Jason slapped his forehead. "Yeah, I did. Once he's okay...yeah, I guess we'll have enough for the team. For awhile." 

"And don't be surprised if, sometime, an old Batman and Catwoman decide to step in and have a little fun," said Selina. "But not for awhile." 

Nightwing, one arm about Starfire's bare shoulders, said, "We'd love to stay, Bruce. But Kory and I...well, you know about honeymoons. Can you manage?" 

"We can, Dick," said Bruce. "Best to you both." 

And after a number of other goodbyes, the various heroes filed out. Wayne Manor was still damaged, but still stood. 

As did its owner. 

"Geo, Looker, can you stay behind for a few minutes?" asked Bruce. "We need to go below." 

The two consented. Bruce and Selina preceded them to the Batcave. They went to a holding cell within it, where Bruce threw open a door. All four of them beheld the prisoner within. 

Bruce spoke. 

"Talia. Tell me why you did it." 

Selina looked at him, then at Talia, with a start, and said nothing. 

The woman within, still beautiful in her jumpsuit, stared at Catwoman with great hardness, and at Bruce with only a little less flint. Geo-Force and Looker tried to hide their surprise. 

"What is your meaning, my beloved?" answered Talia. "How can you think that I had anything to do with what befell your--wife?" 

After a pause, Bruce said, very deliberately, "It wasn't hard to figure, once I had a bit of inspiration dropped in my lap. Both you and your father regarded you as my wife, thanks to that 'marriage ceremony' Ra's performed on us some years back...against my will, of course. You've always loved me, and I'll admit to returning some of that. But not as much as I love Selina." 

The girl's look of jealous rage toward Selina was unhooded, now, and Selina almost shrank back from it. "But you fought beside me," said Selina Wayne. "With me, and King, and Batman, against your father. Then with Jason, and Batgirl, and him against Croc and Joker and all the rest. We were friends." 

"Allies, yes," said Talia. "Friends, until I could not deny your bewitching of my beloved. While he was unmarried, I still had a chance of awakening him to our bond. Now, while you fill his bed..." She shrugged. "There was no other choice." 

Looker said, "There was always another choice, you bitch. You could have accepted it." 

"Acceptance is not for the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul," answered Talia. 

"Did you think I would love you for this, Talia?" said Batman. "Did you think I couldn't figure out your part in it, even if you had succeeded?" 

"I think that you would have been very lonely," said Talia. "And that you would realize there is no other woman fit for the Batman than myself." 

Selina shook her head. "Oh, baby, do you have a lot to learn. Not that I think you ever could." 

"There were other clues," said Bruce, looking very much like an uncostumed Batman. "Kobra had no real grudge against Catwoman. If he just wanted to strike at her to get me on his trail and lead me into a trap, he wouldn't have kept striking at her, even when she was slowly dying of poison. He wouldn't have sprung and hired the Joker, Two-Face, the Night-Thief, and all the rest of those types. No. He did it...because he was paid to do it. By you. With your father's money." 

She looked steadfastly at Bruce. "My father has no knowledge of it, or part in it. I took the money from him when I fled. I did not lie when I said I feared him." 

Selina said, "You wanted to kill me. After I fought beside you, trusted you, twice. With my life. Talia, Talia. You claim to love my man. But I can't believe you know what the hell love really is. Not a bit of it." 

Talia sprang up. Geo-Force rushed forward, held her back. She screamed, "I do know what love is, you witch! I know because you broke my heart. And so did he!" 

Bruce stood between her and Selina. "Stop it, Talia. The time for that is past. As is the time when we had anything together. It's over, now. It's all over." 

"Can you look me in the eye and say that, Bruce Wayne?" said Talia, crying real tears now. "Can you tell me that to my face?" 

"Don't get close to her, friend Batman," protested Geo. 

But Bruce Wayne stepped towards them, put a hand on Geo-Force's shoulder, turned him away, and stood before Talia. "It's over, Talia. Let it go. There is nothing anymore." 

She looked at him, deeply. "Your eyes do not lie. There is still something there." 

He gave her a pained expression. "Perhaps. But not what I have for Selina. And she will be my woman till the day of our deaths." 

Looker said, gently, "Don't give her any ideas, Bruce. She's got enough, already." 

Selina sighed. "Bruce. I don't know if it's a great time to bring it up, but what was that bit of inspiration that turned you on to her part in this thing? I'm curious. Like a cat." 

He said, "Believe it or not, a dream." 

"A dream?" 

He nodded. "A dream I had of my father. He spoke to me. One of the things I remember was speaking to him about capturing the one who was responsible for hurting Selina. I said that I wouldn't rest until I captured him. My father said something like, 'A him? How long has it been since you sang a him?' 

"And that was the clue I needed. That the perpetrator wasn't a him at all. But a her." 

After a moment of silence, Talia said, "Thank your father on my behalf. When you see him." 

"I will," he said. 

"So," she said. "What will you do with me? Even though you say I am responsible for Kobra's poisoning your wife, I know this: that the Batman does not kill." 

"No," said a familiar voice. "But I do." 

Bruce whirled, a nanosecond before the rest, and damned himself for not listening intently enough to detect the newcomer's presence. As it was, there were two newcomers. 

One was Katana. 

The other, looking quite deadly, was Ra's Al Ghul. 

"Ra's," said Bruce, holding himself at combat readiness. "This is not the best time for you to try me." 

"Peace, Detective," said Ra's, stepping closer, slowly. "I bear you no malice tonight. I only seek my wayward daughter." 

Talia looked terrified. "Father," she said. "No." 

Geo-Force and Looker stood in front of Talia. "Come no closer, malefactor," said Geo, his hands ready to exert his power. Looker's eyes blazed in blue. 

Katana was standing silently, behind and to the right of Ra's. The master assassin was carrying a valise. 

"I bear no weapons, Detective," said Ra's. "Only a gift. You will recall that I promised that the head of one of my men would roll, on your behalf, if I found him guilty of your wife's affliction? This is not one of my men. But it is--" He let the phrase dangle, as he set the valise down between himself and Bruce. 

"I will never accept it," he snapped. "Even if it is the head of Kobra. Take it with you when you leave. And leave now." 

"Detective," said Ra's, dangerously but subtly. "Our business is not yet completed. Do not do me further discourtesy." 

Bruce drew a long breath and glanced at Katana. "I knew it was you who did it, Katana. But you can't have made common cause with Ra's." 

She answered, "I have not. When you took the murderess from my keeping, I merely trailed his vehicle to make certain it reached the place of transfer. It did not. He was freed by persons other than his Cultists. He was not to be allowed further freedom. He was not to be allowed further opportunities to kill thousands. He was not to be allowed to prosper, after almost murdering the wife of my liege lord. Such would not be the way of a samurai." She bent before him on one knee, and offered her sword. 

He refused to touch it. 

"My men were the ones who freed him," admitted Ra's. "I knew of her presence. Thus, I set up the situation. The woman gained revenge on your behalf, I lost a competitor. It worked for the best." 

Ra's turned towards Looker, Geo, and Talia. "But the matter is not yet finished. My daughter has dishonored my house. She attempted the murder of the woman you chose. She stole from me, left me, betrayed me. For this, I can assure you, though it cut my heart out to do so...I will, Detective, fulfill my bargain to you. You will have another head." 

"No, Ra's," said Bruce, firmly, moving to stand in front of the Arabic. "No matter how many men you have waiting with you, you will not take her." 

"I stand alone, Detective," said Ra's. "But not forever. And you have not answered my daughter's question. But I can. What will you do with her? Will you kill her? No, for such is not in your nature. Your samurai would do so, gladly, but you will not permit that. Will you have her tried and imprisoned? No, for she knows who you are behind your mask, and she would tell the world at her trial, or bargain with you or others to have her freed lest she reveal it. Will you set her free? Yes, perhaps you would do that, after all. But if you did, you would be freeing her into my hands, for there is none now she may go to that can protect her from me." He stepped so close to her that Geo-Force placed his hand against Ra's's chest, but Ra's struck the hand down. "As I intended," he said, eyes blazing. 

"Father, forgive me," said Talia, quavering. "Or at the least, grant me a quick death. Though I fear you, I yet love you." 

"And I you, daughter of my betrayal," said Ra's. "But justice must be done." 

"Ra's," said Bruce. "Listen to me." 

"Always, Detective," he said, still gazing at Talia. 

"You said that my spurning of Talia was a dishonor to your house," Bruce went on. "Is that not so?" 

"It was indeed," said Ra's, in tones of iron. 

"And yet, your daughter's plot to kill my wife was a dishonor as well. But if you release me from your obligation of marriage to your daughter--I will look upon the debt as paid." 

Silence, for a long moment. 

"Be careful what you suggest, Detective," said Ra's. "Some debts there are too great to be paid in money." 

"And some debts," responded Bruce Wayne, "cannot be paid with blood." 

Talia, Selina, Katana, Geo-Force, and Looker watched the two men, as they deliberated without words. 

"You will grant her into my hands, then?" said Ra's, finally. 

"I will," said Bruce. "Provided you will not take her life. Not for this offense against me, or her current offenses against you." 

"If you agree that the bonds of obligation are finished, then--", Ra's paused. "I agree to that condition." 

Katana spoke. "She is never again to cross the path of the Batman, nor any of our paths. If she does, I will destroy her. And I will attempt to destroy you." 

Ra's looked at her and, to the astonishment of most, gave her a smile. "Of all the persons in your band, you are the only one I would suspect could do it. Besides the Batman, of course. If he killed." 

"Thank you," said Katana. 

"You will also agree to do her no bodily harm," said the Batman. "I won't accept a finger, a hand, or anything else in place of a head." 

"As you wish," said Ra's. He extended his hand. "Come with me, my daughter." 

"No," said Geo-Force. Looker stood beside him. 

Bruce said, "Let her go, both of you. He has given his word." 

"Just what's that worth?" snapped Looker, ready to use a psi-blast on their foe. 

"A lot," said Bruce. 

Reluctantly, the two Outsiders moved aside. Talia, steeling herself, took her father's hand. He led her a few steps away, then stopped and turned. 

"Detective," he said. "In all my centuries, I have never met a man I loved as much as you." 

Bruce said nothing. 

"It will be a terrible thing when comes the day that I finally have to kill you," said Ra's. 

Selina tensed. 

"I think that, at least, is something we can agree on, Ra's," said Bruce. 

The two stepped away into the darkness beyond the Batcave caverns and were gone. 

"You just intend to let them go, friend Batman?" said Geo-Force, tensely. 

"For now," said Bruce. "Will the two of you be staying overnight?" 

Looker said, "We will, just for tonight, to make sure you're safe. If you can find us a room." 

Selina smiled. "Shouldn't be much of a problem," she said. 

Geo-Force put his hand on Lia's arm, then turned to Bruce, and tried to find words. 

"Brion," said Bruce. "Go. Selina and I will catch up later." 

So the two Outsiders mounted the stairs, went through the grandfather clock door, and left. 

Bruce turned to Katana. "So. You killed him." 

"I did, milord," said Katana, quietly but unflinchingly. 

"Is your solution to every problem killing those who create it?" 

"Milord knows me better than that," she said. "As he well knows my reasons for killing in this case." 

Selina had to admit to a twinge of fear for this woman, but she held her peace. 

"If I am still in your service, milord Batman," said Katana, "then I am still samurai. If not, you may make me ronin. But either way, I will see you as my liege." 

Bruce sighed. "I don't know, Katana. I just don't know that I can continue to work with you." He paused. "But. Halo needs you. And the Outsiders need you. Can you continue with them?" 

"If such is your wish, milord," said Katana. After a moment, she said, "Will I see you again?" 

"Maybe. Possibly. But...not right now. On everything but the killing, Katana, you served me well. But I cannot be a party to murder." 

"If murder this be, milord," said Katana, bowing. "Some would call it...justice. Farewell." 

The samurai woman clashed her sword against the magnetic disk on the back of her shirt, turned, and left, by a different path than Ra's and Talia had taken. 

"I'm grateful to her, Bruce," said Selina. "But I don't know if I ever want to see her again." 

"I can hardly blame you," he told her. 

They surveyed the Batcave. Equipment had been damaged by Kobra's troops. The vehicles, the computers, the analytical machines. All would have to be repaired, or replaced. He'd probably have to give Kal a call later on in the week for help. 

"Hell of a mess," said Bruce, shaking his head. 

Selina stood behind him, put her arm around him and stroked his chest, gently. "No worse than our lives, Bruce." 

"Maybe not," he admitted. "Suppose we can put both things together?" 

"I'm willing if you're willing." Her hand was moving lower. He placed his own on hers, and turned his head to kiss her. 

"Where do you want to go on honeymoon?", he asked. 

"Let's figure that out in a week," she said. "We'll be busy till then." 

"We might at that," he replied. "We just might. Are you up for it?" 

"The question should be...are you?" 

He took her in his arms, lifted her off the floor, and carried her to what looked like a blank wall. A keyed command later, and the cave wall opened to reveal the safety chamber. 

"You mean you don't even want to go upstairs?", she asked, hanging onto his neck. 

"Why? If this is good enough for Dick and Kory, it's good enough for us." He carried her across the threshhold. 

"You want to hang a 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside?" she asked, as he set her on her feet. 

"No. I'll just change the password. Not much of a bed in here, but..." 

She kissed him. "It's not the bed, Bruce. It's what you put in it." 

He kissed her back and embraced her with one arm. 

In his other hand was a control device pointed at the entrance. Obediently, the rock wall came down. 

It didn't go up until well into the next day. 

****** 

This one's for Denny O'Neil and Steve Englehart,   
who remembered the Dark,   
but never forgot the Knight.   


A NOTE TO READERS ON FANFICTION.NET: 

Thanks for your response to this story. I'm glad you enjoyed it. In case you want more, you might try "Supergirl and the Legion: Hellsister" on the Legion of Super-Heroes section of this site, or check DarkMark's Domain at http://www.envy.nu/darkmark90/darkmark1.htm . It's great to know how many of you remember the Batman that was...and, hopefully, may someday be again. Until next time, let heroes be heroes, and keep 'em flying.   
--DarkMark   
5 / 17 / 01 


End file.
